Late-Summer Beach Reads

If you've already powered through our list of summer beach reads, here are a few more to get you through Labor Day.


There's nothing like a little schadenfreude to go along with that glass of sauvignon blanc while you while away the hours on a lounge chair.  The Recessionistas is an insider's look at fictional families during the 2008 Wall Street bust. Author Alexandra Lebenthal is the CEO of a wealth management firm and a regular on David Patrick Columbia's site, so she's writing about a life she knows well. You can't help but feel a little smug about the simple saneness of your life when you read about how one character has to decide between $500 highlights and reducing her maid's hours. She chooses the latter.

For a hearty laugh, read Alphabet City: My So-Called Sitcom Life by John Paul Buchmeyer, a fellow blogger. It's the true story of JP's life as he envisions it as a sitcom akin to a gay Mary Tyler Moore. It's full of madcap story lines, knee-slapping moments and plenty of special guest stars, including Whoopi Goldberg and Tyra Banks.

Our friend, Shannon, recommends The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship. This heartwarming non-fiction story follows the lives of 11 women from Ames, Iowa who have been friends for 40-years plus. The easy read is a celebration of the power of friendship between women--an idea we wholeheartedly support!