The Best Beach-Worthy Books to Read This Summer

The perfect summer book is a thing of beauty. Whether light and fun, romantic or sad, gossipy or tell-all, it offers the perfect escape and is best enjoyed from the comfort of a beach blanket, hammock, dock or Adirondack chair. Here are a few of our favourites, from the hot new releases we've recently devoured to a few old faves we're re-reading with delight this summer.

Reading this book feels like going on vacation, and getting completely lost (delightfully so) down the winding streets and cool, dark cafes of Paris' Left Bank. Real-life Canadian journalist Jeremy Mercer abandons a tough job on the crime beat and moves to Paris, where broke and burned-out, he discovers Shakespeare and Co., the legendary bookstore and former stomping grounds of Hemingway, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald and crew. Within weeks, he is living in the bookstore with an eclectic cast of characters, including the temperamental proprietor, George Whitman. Just as Jeremy checks out of his old life and immerses himself fully in his new one, prepare too for some serious escapism.

A sizzling and engrossing behind-the-scenes look at the underbelly of the hip hop world. Angie, one of the most well-known and best regarded radio hosts of her generation, championed an unknown Jay-Z and presided over an intimate and inflammatory interview with Tupac Shakur at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rap war—and those are just her career CliffsNotes. It's an engrossing read about the origins of hip hop's major players—before they were famous—at a time when hip hop was exploding into the mainstream. Whether you're a fan of the genre or not, this is a juicy and addictive look into the lives of the rich and famous.

Here's all you need to know: this is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, only this time around Liz is a magazine writer, Darcy is a doctor, and Bingley recently appeared as a contestant on a Bachelor-like show called Eligible. Fun, huh?

It's not surprising that the creator of juicy mega-hits like Grey's Anatomy and Scandal would pen a book that's intimate, hilarious, sharp and poignant. Prepare to cheer as Shonda, the consummate introvert, decides to stop hiding behind her characters and step boldly into the spotlight. It's a rallying cry for living the best version of your life.

From the beloved New York Times bestselling author comes his much-anticipated memoir. It's a dark book, but Burroughs has incredible levity and great comedic timing, and the result is a deeply moving book which we devoured—and plan to read again.

If you've got a soft-spot for well written Young Adult, you'll love this compilation of short stories. 12 best-selling YA authors contributed, and summer love is the central theme of this touching and cute book.

A very suspenseful thriller with a strong female lead (Maya is a former special ops pilot) who becomes vulnerable when faced with mysterious circumstances beyond her control. We devoured this one as we raced to the end, looking for answers.

The mysterious Monsieur Perdu is the proprietor of a floating bookstore on a barge in the Seine—and he has an uncanny talent for prescribing, as a doctor would, the perfect book to heal any lovelorn, broken, or weary heart. Add into the mix an Italian chef, an author, an old, unread love letter and the French countryside, and you have a warmly intoxicating book that feels like a love letter to literature itself.

An intense thriller, we love that the so-called victim is really anything but. She's tough, she's strong, and she's a survivor. When she finds herself in perilous circumstances for the second time, she has to rely on her own smarts and will to escape.

Accurately described as heart-warming and hilarious by almost all who read it, this book is about life and how the choices we make shape not just our lives but the people we become. And yes, it's about life at forty, but delightfully so.

What if there was more than one reality? This magical tale is set in multiple, parallel London's, and we found ourselves sucked into the intriguing, time-travelling nature of the book. If you're looking for an intricately-woven and fantastical, magical world to lose yourself in—this is perfect.

The eighth story, set 19 years later. We can't wait to see what's in store for the grown-up Harry Potter, now a father of three. The book, which is actually a play, is to be released on July 31, but you can pre-order it here.

This read is engaging enough to be enjoyed by anyone, but if you're involved in any creative pursuit at all, from writing, blogging, painting, or even DIYing, you'll find this book especially speaks to you. Gilbert's message is that every act is a creative act, and you can get through your fear of failure by recognizing that your entire life is a creative expression; so just let go. It's surprisingly inspiring and authentic—and while it does contain Gilbert's trademark brutal honesty, we weren't expecting such levity from the author of Eat, Pray, Love.

Sister rivalry, money, ex-cons, murder. We couldn't put down this family drama-cum-murder mystery. Unexpected twists kept us hooked until the last page.

For a truly beach-worthy read that pairs nicely with slushy, umbrella-garnished drinks, we recommend this happy, easy, and feel-good YA book that's full of love, accents, and some pretty well-rounded and likable characters.

A fresh and funny take on the age-old struggle of trying to have it all. This book is relatable enough to feel authentic, while still being zany enough to provide the escapism we demand from a summer read. Moms will relate, and marvel.