Is there nothing better than a calm and beautiful day at the beach with mild weather, a slow but purposeful breeze, sitting under an umbrella with a book that is nearly impossible to put down, even for a second? Sometimes it will take me months to pick out the perfect book to bring to the beach when I know a trip is coming up. The search for the perfect book is almost as fun as reading the perfect book.
Having a sister that is an English teacher, as well as a ferocious reader; she has always been my guide as to what would make a good beach book. She is meticulous about her reading. She has her literature that she reads. She has her literature that she teaches, books that are clever and a little scary but then she has her easy reads, which are for the beach and purely entertaining. Being the person I am, I read beach reads all year long. I love the easy reading. Nothing too serious and definitely nothing that will keep me up at night or flinch when I hear a bump outside.
Over the past few months I have actually been choosing books on my own and I have been enjoying every single one of them. Sometimes I jokingly say that I am not emotionally stable enough to enjoy good books. I become so engrossed in the character’s lives and enjoy the story so much that I always savor the last couple of chapters. It’s almost as if I hate for the story to end. Within that last chapter, sometimes I’ll flip to the very last page and read the last sentence. It is such an awful habit,one that I am not very proud of.
During this most recent beach trip, I picked a book from an author who has never let me down with a storyline. I was so excited about reading this book I could hardly wait, the excitement was too much to bear. This book was so unique in the fact that it had numerous characters being introduced, all the time. At first it was fun. I felt like the author was building such an amazing storyline with numerous twists and turns. But it was so many new characters that it was hard to keep up with them, my ADD was in overdrive. I kept flipping back pages to find out where these characters came from or to see if I missed something. It was at this point that I decided to Google the reviews of this particular book because I was so stressed out trying to keep up with all of these new people. It was when I read the Google reviews I realized that I was not alone in my confusion and disappointment. Many of the reviews stated the book had way too many characters, way too many details about people that didn’t even matter, and it was hard to follow. The reviewers even went on to state that they did not like the way the book ended. This is when I began questioning myself even further. Do I finish the book or do I move on with my life and pretend like this never happened?
Up until this point my life, I have never put a book down without finishing it. The debate went on for hours and hours. A beach read simply should not be this stressful but I was no quitter. I decided to finish the book. A couple of chapters after my decision, the author was still introducing new characters. Each new character received a fresh new eye roll from me. Make it stop already. I was grateful there wouldn’t be a quiz awaiting me at the end of the book.
Nearing the end of the beach trip I had successfully read two books (one of them was started before I left home) and I read my Bible daily. One would say that it was a successful reading (and napping) venture. The most successful reading happened within the beautiful pages of the Word of God. Reading the Bible on the beach during a sunset is unmatched to any earthly reading pleasure that one could imagine. Sitting and viewing his creation while enjoying his words will leave you with a peace that surpasses all understanding. I was never even tempted to turn to the last page because I know how his story ends. His words never disappoint me. They are full of truth. The characters he introduces in his pages look eerily similar to me . Full of flaws and in desperate need of his grace and mercy. While other books may come and go from the New York Times Best Seller list, while other books are reviewed and critiqued by readers such as myself, there will never be another book that will withstand until the end of the ages. May you take the time to enjoy the easiest of reads, whether it is on a beach, your house or your vehicle. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with everyone. Amen.
Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away
Reba Phelps jreba.phelps@gmail.com