Right after swimsuits and sunscreen, the most important item on my beach vacation packing list has to be my Kindle. There's really nothing better than lying under a beach umbrella with a book and an icy beverage in hand. Being the avid reader that I am, it was incredibly hard to narrow this list down to twelve books, but these are my current quintessential beach reads: fictional page turners that will leave you desperate for more. And yes, half of these may be young adult novels, but let's be serious: the best beach reads usually are.
1. Legend by Marie Lu // If you even remotely liked Hunger Games or Divergent, you'll love the Legend trilogy. Incredibly well-written and with a more believable love story and a better ending than the aforementioned. The novel is set in the Republic, the heavily militarized nation that rose up from the former western coast of the US. June, the youngest member of an elite family from one of the Republic's wealthiest sectors, is already being groomed for military leadership. On the other hand, Day, born into the slums, is already the country's most wanted criminal. When June's brother is murdered, Day becomes the prime suspect and June his relentless pursuer. When their paths inevitably cross they will uncover the shocking truth of what has brought them together, and the dark secrets their country has been harboring for generations.
2. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith // Teenage love triangle meets giant bug apocalypse? Yes please! Austin and his best friend Robby live in dull, lifeless Ealing, Iowa. It becomes even more lifeless, in a different sense of the word, after Austin and Robby accidentally release a deadly genetically engineered plague that unleashes unstoppable soldiers - six-foot-tall praying mantises with insatiable appetites for Iowans. What's even more inconvenient is the sexual confusion Austin is experiencing - is he in love with his girlfriend Shann or his best friend Robby? Or is it just unstoppable hormones? The unique literary style of this book is like nothing I’ve ever read… in a good way. But be warned… if you're easily offended by foul language and topics such as homosexuality, drugs and sex, this is probably not the book for you.
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern // The story of two illusionists, Celia and Marco, who were chosen at a young age to be bound to each other in a lifelong competition - a competition in which, unbeknownst to them, only one will be left standing. There are no rules, only the knowledge that the circus - Le Cirque des Rêves - is the arena for their battle of imagination and will. As is the case with star crossed lovers, Celia and Marco fall magically, deeply in love, but the game must still play out, and the fate of everyone involved hangs in the balance.
4. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt // A "beach read"? At 784 pages? Yes. I promise. Just use an e-reader and you won't be able to tell. The Goldfinch begins at the Metropolitan Museum, where a terrorist bomb kills Theo Decker's mother and results in his possession of a small painting - the 1654 Carel Fabritius masterpiece, The Goldfinch. Abandoned by his father years prior, Theo is taken in by a friends' wealthy family. In a sudden move to Las Vegas he goes from Park Avenue luxury to squalor, all the while in possession of a painting that is both a burden and the last connection he has to his mother. Years later Theo is back in New York in hopes of creating a new life, but thanks to the stolen painting he is inevitably drawn into the dangerous art underworld.
5. The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty // If you're only going to read one book on this list, make this the one. Possibly the best, most beautifully crafted book I've read in years, the type of novel that leaves you wanting to read it again immediately after finishing it. The Husband's Secret chronicles the lives of three women each facing an impossible situation, whose lives intertwine with each other and around an unsolved murder that has been causing anguish for over 20 years. Thought provoking and emotional, it will leave you thinking about the delicate balance between love and betrayal, secrets and forgiveness, and asking yourself "what would I do?".
6. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher // Clay Jensen is one of 13 people who will receive the mysterious package of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and longtime crush who recently committed suicide. Hannah explains, from beyond the grave, that there were 13 reasons why she decided to end her life - and Clay was one of them. He spends the night listening to the tapes and trying to piece together the events that led up to her suicide, and learns a truth about himself that he never wanted to face. Incredibly moving and emotional, a novel that reminds us that every action impacts someone else's life.
7. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn // On the morning of the Dunne's 5th wedding anniversary, Nick wakes up to find that his wife, Amy, has mysteriously disappeared. There are signs of a struggle in the house and Nick suddenly becomes the prime suspect. It doesn't help that their marriage was anything but happy, or that Nick is not completely honest with the police. The story is told from both Nick and Amy's perspectives, and there are so many major plot twists and surprising developments you never know whose side you're on. However, to say that the ending is disappointing is a bit of an understatement: you will probably want to cry out in frustration or punch your significant other. But it still didn't stop me from loving the book or immediately purchasing Flynn's other titles, Sharp Objects and Dark Places, both of which I highly recommend.
8. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley // The first adventure in the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie introduces Flavia De Luce, a precocious 11 year old sleuth and aspiring chemist, who is determined to solve the murder of the mysterious man who has unexpectedly arrived at her home: the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw. The protagonist may only be 11 years old, but this series isn't sophomoric. Think Harriet the Spy meets Sherlock Holmes.
9. The Fault in our Stars by John Green // I've never read a John Green's book I didn't love, but in my opinion The Fault in our Stars is John Green at his best. 16 year old cancer patient Hazel Grace Lancaster is alive thanks to an experimental drug, but unfortunately it does nothing to help her depression. To appease her mother, she joins a cancer support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer patient in remission. The two share an immediate connection that quickly transitions from friendship to romance, and their story shows readers what it means not to be dying from cancer but to be living with it. Witty, beautiful, and both joyous and heart-wrenchingly sad. A Romeo and Juliet for this generation.
10. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta // Some books demand to be read more than once - this is one of those books. The story is about Taylor Markham, a 17 year old boarding school student who was abandoned by her mother six years prior. For years, the Jellicoe School students have engaged in the "Territory Wars" with the Townies (local kids) and the Cadets (city kids), and this year Taylor reluctantly becomes the leader of the Jellicoe students. When Hannah, a house mother who has taken Taylor under her wing, disappears during the midst of the war games, she leaves behind a book manuscript that contains the key to Taylor's past. Hannah's story revolves around a tragic car accident that took place on the Jellicoe Road over 20 years earlier, an accident that left only three children as survivors. The three formed an epic friendship, and as Taylor starts to piece together the clues Hannah left behind, she discovers that this trio has unexpected ties not only to her past, but also her future.
11. If I Stay by Gayle Forman // If I Stay tells the story of young Mia, an aspiring cellist who is in a horrific car accident that kills both her parents and leaves her and her little brother in critical condition. She has no memory of the accident, and when she sees her own body being taken from the wreck she wonders if she, too, is dead. Mia is rushed to the hospital where, her body in a coma, she watches as the doctors try to save her. From this out-of-body state she reflects on the past in order to make the most difficult decision she has ever made: should she stay or should she go? An emotionally gripping story, one that is both tragic yet somehow uplifting.
12. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Claire // Clary Fray witnesses a murder in a New York City nightclub, but she seems to be the only one who can see the three teenagers who committed the crime and the victim has vanished into thin air. This is Clary's first interaction with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons, and she is pulled into their world with a vengeance. Demons, vampires, werewolves, fairies and warlocks all play a part in the Shadowhunter world, and yes, I know it sounds ridiculous, but trust me. This is the ultimate beach read… you won't be able to put it down. It's like True Blood times 10, minus the gratuitous sex scenes. And, dare I say it? The prequel series - Infernal Devices - is even better.