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!

100 Years of Travel Ads

If the Mad Men premiere whetted your appetite for vintage advertising, check out the coffee table book 20th Century Travel: 100 Years Of Globe-Trotting Ads. It's filled with classic ads from the past 100 years when traveling was still glamorous and getting there truly was half the fun.

It make an ideal hostess gift, too, for those of you lucky enough to have snagged invites to a friend's beach house!

She's Got Game

Ever wished you had a little more grasp of your favorite game? Melissa Malamut has got you covered with her new book, She's Got Game: The Woman's Guide to Loving Sports (Or Just How to Fake It!).  Malamut not only goes over the basics of football, basketball, baseball, golf and more; but she recommends when to cheer and when to stay quiet (as in when your team is shooting a free throw).  She even goes into the best outfits for each sport (basketball with its climate controlled arenas is the best sport to dress up) and the best time to leave your seats for a snack or a bathroom break.  Malamut is a veteran journalist and sports reporter.  This would be more fun (and less humiliating) than picking up a "Dummy's Guide" if you're looking to impress your man before the next big game.