RiniKini’s round up of 2016 beach reads

If, like us, you start every year with the intention of working your way through the ever-growing stack of books on your bedside table, but never quite seem to manage to reach the bottom, read on… There is so much amazing literature out there and, unfortunately, just not enough hours in the day to consumer it all. Before you know it, its May and the pile hasn’t even gone down by one book. Sound familiar? If you sympathise, you’ll appreciate every moment you find to swap real life for a moment of ‘down time’ to escape into the pages of a great book. Here’s a round up of our chosen beach reads for this year:

Modern Lovers, Emma Straub
If you love The Vacationers you’ll love Straub’s latest novel about a tight-knit group of friends from collage – who are now sending their own kids off to college. This book highlights truths, in a humorous way, about youth, growing up & middle age; what changes, what stays the same and what simply evolves. It’s the perfect light hearted read for a sunny day.

I am Malala, Malala Yousafazi
The youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafazi, tells the inspiring story of how life in Pakistan shaped her into the person she is today – a strong and powerful women, who has been prepared to put her safety on the line in the fight for girls right to an education in a society where men dominate.

Eight Hundred Grapes, Laura Dave
Some secrets are the type you can share, others… not so much. Some help you, others destroy you. Just before her wedding, Georgia finds out the kind of secret that changes lives forever and it turns out she’s one of the only people who isn’t in on this secret…

The Life and Death or Sophie Stark, Anna North
How far would you go in the name of art? It’s true that any creative is inspired by personal experience of some sort but as Sophie Stark’s career as a filmmaker takes off, she finds herself in the position of having to decide whether she is more dedicated to her art or the people she loves most.

What’s Your is Not Yours, Helen Oyeyemi
Built around the idea of keys (literal and metaphorical), which unlock everything from magical diaries to hearts. This book is a playful medley of many intertwined stories, exploring different scenarios and their possible outcomes. It is thought provoking and, ultimately, hard to put down.

We Love You Charlie Freeman, Kaitlyn Greenidge
The Freeman’s know sign language and have therefore been selected to take part in an experiment at the Toneybee Institute where they are tasked to teach this young and abandoned Chimp sign language. This amazing peice of work is amazing on two levels, it is a brilliant story but also, a fascinating exploration of America’s difficulty in finding a language to talk about race.

Ways to Disappear, Idra Novey
If you loves Where’d you go Bernadette, this is one for you. In Novey’s first Novel, she tells the story of Brazlian write, Beatriz Yogoda who is last seen climbing into an almond tree with a suitcase before disappearing. Meanwhile, in Pittsburg, her American translator hears the news and tasks herself, much the the dismay of her family, along with her children to solve the mystery of Yogoda’s disappearance.

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