Books to Take to the Beach

The sun is shining, the beach is calling . . . but you read all the books you had while stuck at home—during the longest spring you’ve ever experienced. 

What’s a bookworm to do? 

Step #1: Check out this list of beach read recommendations from our bloggers. 

Step #2: Purchase at the provided links. 

Step #3: Hit the sand with your new book friend in hand. 

Step #4: Put some aloe on that sunburn. (Just kidding. Put on sunscreen.)

Enjoy!

Beach Read Recommendations from the TrueWoman.com Team

For an enjoyable series: Dawn Wilson raves about Kathi Macias. She recommends you start with the Extreme Devotion series—each one is based in a different country: 

Can’t get enough? Macias has several other series that you can add to your “to read” pile, including the Freedom series and the Quilt series. 

For a good laugh: Read On the Bright Side by Melanie Shankle. Stacey Salsbery writes, “Melanie never fails to make me laugh out loud. When I read her books I feel like I'm sitting down for coffee with a good friend. If you're looking for a delightful read this summer, this book is the perfect choice.”

For thoughtful moments: Samantha Nieves recommends you pick up Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot by Mo Isom. She says, “It's one of my summer weekend lake books! . . . I love the way she pokes holes in the shallowness of self-righteous do's and don'ts and emphasizes the heart-grabbing power of the set-free life made possible by gospel.” 

For scratching that Jane Austen itch: Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay was Maggie Combs’s pick. It’s a page-turning contemporary novel with an Austenian flair. Or you could always reread a classic. Amy Tyson recently sauntered through Emma again, and she was reminded why she loved it! “The absolutely unlovable heroine who is humbled, repents, grows . . . the wise, patient friend who loves her, flaws and all—such a satisfying love story.” 

For a heartwarming family story: A hot Alabama summer, life on the farm, family dynamics, and life-changing decisions . . . Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton has it all. Take Christina Fox’s recommendation and enjoy a story that encompasses all the seasons of a woman’s life: sisterhood, motherhood, marriage, and beyond. 

For a can’t-put-it-down biography: Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II by Darlene Deibler Rose. Tessa Thompson told me that she had trouble setting it down for even a moment! “It quickly became one of my top three favorite books. Darlene's enduring faith through great suffering was so encouraging, and she even kept a wonderful sense of humor through it all, which made me smile often!”

For an easy-to-read, but challenging devotional: Read A Praying Life by Paul Miller. This book keeps on getting recommended to me, and Barbara Reaoch just recommended it again! (Perhaps that means this should be my beach read?) Grow a prayer life based in childlike faith with this modern Christian classic. 

For a biography collection: 12 Faithful Women: Portraits of Steadfast Endurance is a brand-new book edited by Melissa Kruger and Kristen Wetherell. The women featured in this book will encourage you to be courageous in Christ. Kristen also pointed me to Tim Challies’ Devoted: Great Men and Their Godly Moms, another title worth adding to your beach bag! 

For the food-lover: Read My Life in France by Julia Child. New True Woman blogger Amy Tyson sent me several great recommendations, including this one. She glowingly writes, “This book makes me want to eat buttery chicken, discuss philosophy and literature with intellectuals, and wear 1950's style dresses as the sun sets over the French countryside. It is so evocative. I enjoy Julia's descriptions of scenery and food, and her joyful zest for living life to the full.”

For some beautifully written theology: Amy Tyson also recommends Enjoying God by Tim Chester and Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson. I’d point you to Handle with Care by Lore Ferguson Wilbert, a hope-filled and honest new book on ministering through touch. All of these books, as Amy put it, “focus on delighting in who God is, acknowledging our creatureliness and rejoicing in how God so abundantly and kindly communes and communicates with his children.” 

Now it’s your turn. What are you reading as you relax this summer? Leave a recommendation of your own in the comments below! 

Editor’s note: A listing here is not an endorsement of all of a book’s contents or the author. As always, use discernment and wisdom!

About the Author

Hayley Mullins

Hayley Mullins

Hayley Mullins is a biblical counselor based in northern Indiana who finds joy in helping people find help, hope, and healing in Christ. Reading, hiking, watching soccer, collecting records, and chatting over coffee are her everyday delights. Hayley formerly served … read more …


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