Leigha and I, after year's of saying "let's do a girls trip"- are booked for the beach, whoo-hoo! No words can describe how grateful I am that she still thinks her Mom is cool enough to travel with. I wanted to return to beautiful Punta Cana, a place that my husband and I fell in love with. Leigha and I are really looking forward to walking the endless white sands, swimming in the turquoise water, and partake in a cocktail or two (or why count, just keep bringing them). A beach vacay is such an invitation to escape our everyday hustle and relearn how to relax again. I think I have quite literally packed and re-packed my carry-on 5 times so far. Really we just need the basic essentials of a couple bathing suits, pair of flip flops, a beach hat, and we especially cannot forget a couple of books while sipping our cocktails. Admittingly, I do love to people watch - you can really get absorbed by the company around you, banana hammocks anyone? So once the people watching is done, it will be time to settle into a good read and be swept away in the stories, all the while listening to the soft waves of the ocean.
Here are Leigha's and Tracy's top book picks
for your beach vacation.
Leigha's Pick:
If you want a book to get swept away, full of secrets and the thrill of falling in love - then this is the book for you. A breath of fresh air, steamy romance, love, betrayal, grief, failure, and learning how to love again.
"Exactly the witty, charming, and swoony novel we always want; it also happens to be the unexpected wallop of emotional wisdom and sly social commentary we need right now. I adored it.”—Julia Whelan, author of My Oxford Year
Tracy's Pick:
I loved reading this book. It shows us how we all want to be good, with our partners, children, mothers, employers and friends. We hope all this effort it will make us feel alive - sometimes it leaves us feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed.
It is Glennon's story of a woman who shows us that a mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. While navigating divorce and forming a new blended family, Glennon shows us on how to begin to trust ourselves, love ourselves and let go of the anger and finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.
Leigha's Pick:
Absolutely love every page of this book. This story is about Dannie, a corporate lawyer who's a strategic and serial planner for all things. She has / gets everything she plans for; job, finance, apartment etc., but one night she falls asleep and has a dream that she wakes up in a different apartment, different part of town next to a man that is not her fiancé. She wakes up and spends the next five years thinking of this vivid dream, and what it truly meant.
Great read about friends, relationships and love. Also got me tearing up a few times, if you like that about books, which I do.
Tracy's Pick:
A second chance at romance, opposites attract, and friends to lovers, literally three of my favorite narratives! The chemistry between Alex and Poppy is captivating. The then and now, how you get to follow all the summer vacations they had taken over the years while following the present day too. If you're looking for the perfect book to sink into and let your mind getaway, it's this one.
"A gorgeous slow-burn romance, full of sexual tension and tantalizing possibility. I fell head over heels for Alex and Poppy" Beth O'Leary, Sunday Times bestselling
Leigha's Pick:
If you like short, captivating, interview style chapters that involve love, drama, passion, twists and heartbreak, then this book is for you.
A young, current day reporter named Monique is selected by the Hollywood scarlet, Evelyn Hugo, in order to help her set the record straight and tell the truth about her scandalous past by publishing a biography. Beginning in the 1950's, stories of Evelyn's life are shared, and details are uncovered about her infamous 7 marriages.
A great and easy read to keep you intrigued while bathing in the sun.
Finding the time to take the vacation seems like the hardest part, but sometimes it is the effort of truly relaxing while on it that we find the hardest. At least I do. Slow walks, yoga, and getting lost in a good book are excellent ways to increase your mental well being. It brings you a new state of mind when you return from holidays. Give it a try. Book that vacation, bring that book and read one - maybe two.
Ciao xx
Tracy