I don't know about the rest of ya'll, but down here in Tennessee we are in the throes of summer. Men are sweating...women are glistening and even my cats start panting from time to time. Yesterday I was reading by the pool, and when I realized how sweaty my book had even become, it reminded me of The Beach Book. I bought it several years ago in preparation for a trip to Miami, and I still take it with me every time I go on a trip to the beach.
The Beach Book is completely waterproof (the pages feel like some sort of thin plastic) and it features sea-themed short stories from authors such as Roald Dahl and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was published in 2005 by Melcher Media, and in 2007 they published Poolside, which is a second collection of waterproof short stories.
I don't know about you, but I don't get to the beach as often as I would like, so when I'm there, I really like to immerse myself in the environment (pun intended!), and The Beach Book is a perfect way to do that. Plus, the short stories feature beaches from all around the world, so it's kind of like a little travel book too. I have taken this book with me to Miami, Destin, Panama City, and Charleston, and I just love the fact that when I open the book now, little grains of sand still fall out from in between the pages, which is why it's hard for this book not to become a very nostalgic symbol for anyone who owns it.
If you like this "Durabook," Melcher Media also produces lots of other Durabooks ranging in subjects from kids' bath-themed books to a waterproof bible. Most of them are pretty inexpensive, too (except for the bible). I just bought a used copy of Poolside for 75 cents and The Soothing Soak: A Bathtub Reader for $1 on Amazon. My husband and I are going on vacation to Arizona next month and I cannot wait to take Poolside with me, as I plan on spending lots of time at the pool cooling off from that desert heat. The only downside to these books is that, since they're not made of paper, they are quite a bit heavier than regular books, so I'll have to remember that when I'm packing my luggage.
