What makes a book a beach read?
- C Mulder
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 7
It’s the height of summer and, for Adult Services, that means serving up the
beach read recommendations left and right. But what actually is a beach read?
The term is not a genre or a literary subject. It’s a marketing tool, which means there’s some subjectivity to the definition.
So is it a book you read at the beach? After all, I have a cousin whose beach read of choice is Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and a family member who brings the same copy of the New Yorker to the beach, determined to get through the issue during his vacation. I know two people who only read World War 2 books at the beach, one fictional accounts and the other long, complex nonfiction tomes.
But when someone requests a beach read, it does not necessarily mean a book that will be read at a beach. This person is usually, although not always, looking for a book with the following characteristics:
A light read
The book is light, both in content and size. Mass market paperbacks are the prime beach read format. Because they are small and lightweight you can easily fit another five in your already overstuffed luggage. For content, the stakes are low or the characters are carefree. Or, the case of my favorite beach reads, the premise is so unlikely that the whole book is a wonderfully escapist fantasy.
Summer
A summer and/or a vacation locale usually plays a big role in the book. A lakeside cabin, international getaway, beloved childhood camp – all surrounded by the hallmarks of a long and lazy summer.
Romance
A lot of romance novels can be considered beach reads. And many beach reads feature a romantic plot line of some sort. That said, there are numerous psychological thrillers that fall under the beach umbrella that have no romance at all.
Compulsively readable.
This is the big one. It can mean a lot of things – easy to read, entertaining, unputdownable, fast paced, engrossing, or simply, you cannot sleep without knowing the ending. Whether you need to identify the murderer, figure out the twists of the thriller, witness the romantic reunion of the lead characters, or see the family come to a resolution, a beach read keeps you turning pages through to the end.
