10 Decidedly Highbrow But Still Beach-Appropriate Summer Reads

flavorwire.com:

We get it. If you're a literary snob, choosing beach reading is hard. You want something that's going to keep you entertained and happy while you work on your tan or soak up some much-needed vitamin D, but you can't bear to waste your time (or risk your reputation) with something trashy.

Read the whole story: flavorwire.com

Comments

[3fingerbrown]

06:33 AM on 07/13/2011

John Waters should sue flavorwire for accusing him of being high-brow. What are they trying to do, destroy his reputation?

[MikeDu]

11:34 AM on 07/11/2011

Good lord, if this is considered 'high brow' what has this country sunk to? I mean they're all perfectly nice books, as hear as I can tell. I browsed the John Waters book in the store recently and found it a charming read. But its not exactly Nietzsche or William James you're reading. An educated American adult *should* be capable of reading, understanding and enjoying anything that's been written. Lowering the bar so that a John Waters celebrity memoir is considered 'high brow' does nobody any good.

[WYHKTai-Tai]

01:21 PM on 07/11/2011

I agree. I think 'beach read' and 'high-brow' are kind of contradictory, though. The only one on the list I've read is 'The Secret History'; a really good read, but not 'high-brow' and incidentally, not as good as her 2nd book, 'The Little Friend'.

Wonder what the heck they might think a 'low-brow' book would be!?

[CenaW]

10:42 AM on 07/11/2011

I like this book list more than any I have seen before.