Against all odds, summer is still alive and well! And we want to enjoy every last bit of it… are you with us?!

This month’s theme is {Beach Read} … for pretty obvious reasons. Beach season is still in full swing and this may be our last chance to soak up some sun and sand before fall makes its inevitable debut.

Some of you might be asking, what’s a beach read? Well, it’s a book that’s bright, fun and not terribly long or intense. It’s a low-maintenance friend to spend time with while relaxing in the summer sunshine. Granted, that means different things to different people. But if you enjoy the company, that’s all that matters.

For us, a great beach read means Emma Straub‘s The Vacationers. Or at least we hope it’s a great beach read. Straub is a New York-based nonfiction author who hit her big break with this New York Times bestseller in 2014. The story centers around a family vacation to Mallorca, Spain and the figurative baggage they bring with them.

The reviews for The Vacationers have been mixed. Some complain of having a hard time relating to the many disloyal characters, and others praise the complexity of the female protagonist(s). And the A.V. Club claims The Vacationers, “is perfect summer reading: a beautifully written story that’s neither too depressing nor too charming, one that contains all the aching emptiness of wanting children or sex or companionship. It’s like sitting on a perfect sandy beach and knowing there’s jellyfish in the water, waiting to sting.” So I guess we’ll just have to read and find out.

We hope you’ll read along with us and share your progress/thoughts with us on Instagram or Twitter using #BooklyMark!

And don’t forget to check out our {August} playlist. It’s a perfect listen to accompany beach and book (if we do say so ourselves):