These book are perfect for the cottage, the beach or even your own backyard. Wherever you do your “beach reading”, these books are sure to take you away. So grab a snack, a cold drink and settle in with one of our picks below.
Above All Things by Tanis Rideout 
A breathtaking debut novel of obsession and divided loyalties, which brilliantly weaves together the harrowing story of George Mallory’s ill-fated 1924 attempt to be the first man to conquer Mount Everest, with that of a single day in the life of his wife as she waits at home in England for news of his return.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 selection. A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe—and built her back up again.
Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn
“An irresistible summer thriller with a twisting plot worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. Burrowing deep into the murkiest corners of the human psyche, this delectable summer read will give you the creeps and keep you on edge until the last page.” —People (four stars)
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
On a seemingly ordinary Saturday morning, Julia and her family wake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. Set against this threat to normal life, The Age of Miracles maps the effects of catastrophes big and small on the lives of ordinary people, and in particular, one young girl.
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
For the Kellehers, Maine is a place where children run in packs, showers are taken outdoors, and old Irish songs are sung around a piano. As three generations of women arrive at the family’s beach house, each brings her own hopes and fears.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives at night, without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within nocturnal black and white striped tents awaits a unique experience, a feast for the senses. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is underway — a contest between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in “a game,” in which each must use their powers of illusion to best the other. Unbeknownst to them, this game is a duel to the death, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.
Shelter by Frances Greenslade
A spellbinding and wise coming-of-age story, Shelter draws readers into the precarious world of two young sisters in search of their mother, and brings to life the breathtaking B.C. landscape through which they travel. Shelter’s emotional richness evokes the bestselling novels of Miriam Toews and Mary Lawson.
My entire family (mom, dad, sister) read Gone Girl on the beach in Bora Bora!
I love that they picked it out as a beach read, too! Are you reading it next? I thought it was great.