10 Smart, Entertaining Beach Reads

They're not trashy, but they're still page-turners
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 31, 2010 10:52 AM CDT
10 Smart, Entertaining Beach Reads
Apparently Infinite Jest isn't as daunting as it appears.   (Flickr)

Looking for a page-turner to read on the beach, but just can’t bring yourself to buy a trashy supermarket romance novel? Allow Sadie Stein to introduce you to 10 respectable summer reads “that you can show with pride—but will devour like a tween guilty pleasure,” on Jezebel:

  • Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace: “Stop putting it off! You'll enjoy it, we swear!” Plus, it’s long enough to last any length of plane ride.
  • Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov: “How can something so utterly artful and disturbing be so completely, deliciously addictive? Probably one of the best reads of all time.”

  • The Secret History, Donna Tartt: “Whenever I'm looking for a book that's juicy, atmospheric, faintly gothic, and totally absorbing (a little old-fashioned school scandal never hurts, either) I tell the person at the bookstore that I want something ‘Secret History-esque.’”
  • The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood: “It may be a feminist classic and a fascinating take on gender dynamics, but first it's a masterfully-told, riveting, satisfying story that will keep you going for at least a week of solid reading.”
For the complete list, click here. For more smart summer reads, click here. (More summer reads stories.)

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