Summer in February? 13 Beachy Reads to Get You Through Winter

Winter Blues?

This last stretch of winter can be particularly brutal on our chilled toes and clouded psyche. If you're feeling deprived of warmth and vitamin D, take a literary summer vacation with one of these sunny, beachy novels.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Available for preorder, (March 1 release), this story explores the powerful bond between mother and daughter. Reeling from her mother's recent death, Katy embarks on the Italian vacation they planned to take together. As she basks in the stunning beauty of the Amalfi Coast, something extraordinary happens.

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

A warm, funny novel about a once-famous sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him taking care of his niece and nephew for the summer. Patrick, aka Gay Uncle Patrick, has always loved spending time with Maisie and Grant (nine and six, respectively) for shorter visits. But now he's out of his comfort zone.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

When Mallory inherits a Nantucket beachfront cottage from her aunt, she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party there. That's where she meets Jake and their summer fling leads to an annual rendezvous that lasts nearly three decades. Inspired by the classic film Same Time Next Year.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Two best friends from very different backgrounds begin a life of excitement, responsibility, and danger as part of their village's all-female diving collective on the Korean island of Jeju. Over the course of many decades, they get caught up in the turbulence of warring empires and cultural turmoil.

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

In 1960s Florida, a young Cuban exile risks her life—and heart—to take back her country and her birthright. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost.

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

Emma doesn't remember a lot about her mother, who died when she was ten. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever. In this YA romance, Emma gets an unexpected and rare chance to spend the summer with her mother's family at North Lake.

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones

In Baxter Beach, Barbados, moneyed expats clash with the locals who often end up serving them. Lala lives on the beach with her husband, Adan, a petty criminal with endless charisma whose thwarted burglary of one of the wealthy households sets off a dire chain of events.

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

This brilliant classic depicts a family taking a holiday on the Isle of Skye. The seemingly trivial postponement of a visit to a nearby lighthouse reveals a remarkable, moving examination of the complex tensions and allegiances of family life and the conflict between men and women.

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen

Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada in this historical novel about a young woman who leaves her small midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and lands the job of a lifetime working for the first female editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown circa 1965.

Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons

In the uncertain 1960s, four young women met as sorority sisters on a Southern campus: elegant Kate, sensitive Cecie, opulent Ginger, and brilliant Fig. Now, thirty years later, they return to Nag's Head, North Carolina, hoping to recapture the bonds they formed there during two seminal spring breaks.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Cadence Sinclair Easton has always enjoyed spending summers on her family's Island retreat. But one summer, something terrible happens—something Cadence can't seem to remember. Now she's back and things are strange. Will she be able to puzzle together the broken pieces of her fragmented memories?

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

Caroline Stark's beach house was supposed to be her crowning achievement: a lavish, expensive space to showcase what she thought was her perfect family. But after realizing things may not be as perfect as they seem, she meets a stranger on the beach who throws everything into chaos.

The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante

This edgy, intriguing novel served as the basis for the new Oscar-nominated film starring Olivia Coleman and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. It is the story of Leda, a middle-aged divorcée, taking a solo vacation on the Ionian coast after her two adult daughters go to live with their father in Toronto.

Summer is a state of mind with these balmy reads. Melt away the last weeks of winter with a fictional fix of adventure, sand, sweat, and heat.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon