10 Beach Reads that will Keep your Gears Turning this Summer

By Mary Buzby

1. How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
As technology grows to become a bigger part of our daily lives, it’s important to stay informed, especially with the big business that’s dominating the industry. Learn about Google, from its founding history to the road of success – because if it’s in a book, then it must be true… Right?

2. “Cleopatra, A Life” by Stacy Schiff
Cleopatra is one of the most famous leaders in history who has been built into an ancient legend. This biography reveals insights to her reign, including incest, murder, poison, infidelity and many other secrets skimmed over in school books.

3.“Why Baseball Matters” by Susan Jacoby
This long-time fan provides commentary to the good ol’ American tradition of baseball and how it can modernize itself in the age of distraction. Jacoby reflects on her appreciation for the game and analyzes the Major League Baseball industry, asking, “Can America’s pastime be saved?”

4.“A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War and Enlightenment” by Stéphane Hénaut and Jeni Mitchell
Whether you’re traveling abroad or simply lazing on the beach counting down the minutes until lunchtime, “A Bite-Sized History of France” will have you losing track of time. Through only food and wine, the authors trace French history from its founding through today.

5.“Kahlo” by Andrea Kettenmann
Frida Kahlo is widely known as Mexico’s most famous female painter. Having experienced many traumatic incidents throughout her lifetime, she learned to express herself through a wealth of revolutionary art. This book includes a chronological summary of Kahlo’s life and cultural significance, as well as more than 100 of her works with explanatory captions.

6. “Tangerine” by Christine Mangan
This summer’s thriller is presented to you by Alice Shipley and Lucy Mason, two ex-best friends who reunite to become the unreliable narrators, spilling their versions of the events leading up to the disappearance of Alice’s husband. Set in Morocco, Alice begins to struggle with everything around her: her friendship with Lucy, her decision to move to Morocco and ultimately, her sanity.

7. “Love and Ruin” by Paula McLain
Previously in “The Paris Wife,” McLain accounts Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage; but now she returns with “Love and Ruin” to expose his love affair and marriage to Martha Gellhorn. At 28 years old, Gellhorn travels to Madrid to report the Spanish Civil War and prove herself as a worthy journalist, however she finds herself unexpectedly falling in love with a man on the verge of becoming a legend. She finds herself struggling between the confinement of a famous man’s wife and her competitive nature to pursue her own goals.

8. “The Maze at Windermere” by Gregory Blake Smith
Five interrelated stories across three centuries are woven together and bound by the very nature of humanity and the town of Newport, R.I.

9. “Welcome to the Universe” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss and J. Richard Gott
Take a tour of the universe, guided by three of the today’s leading astrophysicists. From the solar system, to black holes, to time travel, this book will leave you with enough knowledge to lead you from our home planet to the final frontier – as well as understand why Pluto isn’t a planet anymore.

10. “The 6 Wives of Henry the VIII” by Alison Weir
Henry VIII of England was the “bloody” ruler from 1509-1547 and well known for the marriage to his six wives; but who were they? Weir has compiled an array of sources to bring Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr to life as extraordinary women who were more than just the unfortunate wives of a vicious king.