Books for the Beach
Growing up, there were few things I disliked more than reading. It got so bad that on more than one occasion, I made up book titles and turned in entire book reports on my imaginary stories to my 8th grade English teacher (ex: Thompson's Well by Kenneth Patera).
Sadly, the eventual valedictorian is rumored to have thrown me under the bus after my fake reports were scoring higher grades than most of the class. But anyway …
Somewhere along the way I decided that reading wasn't so dreadful, and I began reading books — but there were restrictions. The books usually had to be drug-ridden rock and roll biographies, and I would only read in the summer because there is no better place to read a book than laying on the beach or sitting around a pool.
Looking for a good book to take to the beach? Here are a few of my favorites.
A view from the inside of Guns N Roses and a story about how they exploded onto the scene in the late 80s and ultimately imploded. With all of the crazy stories of excess in this book, it should probably come with a "Do not try this at home" disclaimer. Once you finish this book, you'll like Axl Rose even less.
At 547 pages, Keith Richards' memoir is by far the biggest book I've read — and perhaps the best. The Rolling Stones' guitarist, and Johnny Depp's inspiration for his Captain Jack Sparrow character, goes into extensive details about his famous drug use, strained relationship with Mick Jagger, and how he composed the riffs to some of the biggest rock songs of all time. This book tells the history of rock and roll through the experiences of a man who was expected to die since the 1970s.
Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
If you've watched any episodes of American Idol over the past two seasons, you're well aware of Steven Tyler's outrageous way of expressing himself. This book reads exactly as how I'd imagine a conversation with the Demon of Screamin' would go, and Tyler tells the story of his life in and out of Aerosmith hilariously. With chapters titled "Zits and Tits" and "Ladies and Genitals … I'm Not A Bad Guy (I'm Just Egotistical)," Tyler's memoir is no literary masterpiece, but it sure is entertaining.
Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty by Jeff Pearlman
As much as I loathe the Dallas Cowboys, I couldn't put down Pearlman's look into the dysfunctional dynasty of the Dallas Cowboys. From the opening chapter about Hall of Famer Michael Irvin stabbing a teammate in the neck with scissors, I was hooked. The Cowboys may have been the best football team on Sundays for most of the 90s, but their off-the-field excesses would make most rock bands shake their heads in disbelief.
Missing Links & Shanks for Nothing by Rick Reilly
Even though I can barely get through any article Rick Reilly has written in the past year, his two books about America's worst golf course, Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Course & Deli, are my favorite sports fiction books of all time. If you grew up playing cheap public golf courses, you can surely relate to "Ponky" and the cast of characters who regularly golf there. Really fun books to read and once you finish the one, you'll run to grab the second.
So there you have it, a list of books to read from someone that never enjoyed reading. My current summer book is This is a Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl. What's on your summer reading list?
Share your summer reading list with us below.
Jeff Cavanaugh writes sanctimonious stories about the genius of rock stars for SaraBozich.com. Follow him on Twitter.
Want more summer inspiration? Check out these posts:
- Summertime – 10 "musts" this season
- Running into summer
- 5 ways to make this summer the best yet
- My Favorite Summer Recipes
