One of the best parts of any trip, for me, is reading. Honestly, I think reading is one of the greatest joys of life; but there’s something especially magical about a book by the water. It’s one of those top-tier experiences.
I can’t recall a vacation when I didn’t have a book or several, or a Kindle loaded with downloaded titles to dive into. Beyond the entertainment and escape provided by your own beach read, there’s the pleasure of glancing around the pool or beach, spotting other sunglassed readers lost in their own worlds. Biographies, short stories, steamy romance novels, New York Times bestsellers, classics or even just a magazine – everyone, from moms to grandparents to teenage girls sunning on matching towels, is on their own adventure. We’re all in paradise, yet somehow, we’re each escaping a little further than the vacation itself allows.
I vividly remember selecting books for trips throughout my life.
From my first chapter books in elementary school, carefully tucked into my little suitcase, to the stack of novels crammed into every nook and cranny of my bag on my first trip to Italy when I was in college – when I look back on these vacations, I remember them partially through the books I read there. A Room with a View will forever be tied to a rocky Mediterranean beach and a cold lemon soda. And when I think of certain authors, I picture blue-and-white-striped beach loungers and Turkish towels sprinkled in salty sea water.
There’s a particular comfort in reading at the beach – a sense of camaraderie with those around you, equally lost in the words and worlds of their books. My mom might be beside me on a beach chair in Spain, but while I wander the English countryside in my novel, she’s at the Chicago World’s Fair, over a century ago. The man across the pool from me is exploring the cosmos, while I’m swept away in a tale of enemies turned lovers. Here we all are, taking a break from everyday life, soaking in the sun, sipping drinks, feeling the breeze off the water … and also escaping, even from this perfect reality, for an adventure in the mind.
There’s something luxurious about reading by the water. It feels almost decadent, like an ancient Roman emperor lounging by the sea, or indulging in a seaside “cure.”
It’s indulgent in the best possible way – restful, peaceful and relaxing. There’s nothing better than lying back and letting your mind wander to faraway places.
But this indulgent reading also often happens in a café or seaside bar, or while gazing at a vista from a hotel balcony. My mom always combined her waterside reading with writing; jotting down notes about the book, a description of a delicious pastry, a cat she spotted, or a musing about the lives of village locals. I picked up this habit, too – scribbling an inspiring quote, a whimsical description of the sun glinting on the waves or an idea for a story, a series of short stories, a novel or even a travel article for a hometown magazine.
These moments by the pool offer a chance to journey through a story, but also to create my own; dreaming, imagining and seeing the world in ways we can’t when we’re caught up in the rush of daily life.
A book on vacation is a portal to countless worlds, but perhaps more importantly, it’s a gateway back to ourselves.
