My Island Vacation Reading List

Here are the books I'm reading on the beach.

Every year my husband and I wait and WAIT for February break. We live in the northeast where winters are usually bleak and gray so we always plan a trip to the tropics every year to give our Vitamin D a boost. This February break I have four books I cannot wait to dive into, in between sailing, snorkeling and sunning, of course.

As my friend recently told me, I’m a “summer professional,” so I have no problem with parking myself on a beach and reading a book for awhile. xo

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai. I wrote about this one in an earlier post, but Makkai’s earlier book The Great Believers is one of my favorites. Her new novel takes place in a boarding school and it’s a mystery, but one of those high-brow ones with literary undercurrents. Cannot wait! Also, if you want to “meet” Makkai, she’s featured in The New York Times By the Book column this week.

Maame by Jessica George. Something about this bildungsroman is drawing me in. Is it the colors on the cover? The rave reviews? The story itself? I’d say it’s all of the above. It’s about a young Ghanian immigrant in London (another London novel I’m reading) who is stuck between two cultures while learning the ultimate power of friendship. Def checks the boxes!

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel is an absolute delight. I just started it on the beach, and I can’t put it down. Set in Greenwich Village, it follows three charming characters who find a baby on their doorstep and what happens when they try to track down the baby’s parents. I don’t know much more yet, but Poeppel is a great writer. Plus, I just adore this world she created so far; overworked mom and potter Lauren living in her husband’s childhood home in the city with the pressure of a rising career!

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is my next book club book so I have it downloaded on Audible to listen to on the plane ride. I also like to listen to books when I run or go for walks on the beach. The story sounds fascinating: An aquarium worker befriends a curmudgeonly octopus who helps her solve the story of her son’s murder. HUH? Exactly. Genius story.

Have you read any of these? Or are they on your list? Am I missing something? I have FOMO when it comes to books.