I have a fun and funky giveaway today, so get ready!
Lynsay Sands' Argeneau series has a new book, Under a Vampire Moon ( A | BN | K | S ), and Avon has offered some very fun prizes for you.
Because Under a Vampire Moon is partly about travel to exotic locales (in this case, St. Lucia), the prize is travel and beach themed, and I think the grand prize is really spiffy.
The grand prize is a Baggallini rolling tote bag in steel blue with green trim, stuffed with all of Lynsay Sands' Argeneau books, including:
- A QUICK BITE
- LOVE BITES
- SINGLE WHITE VAMPIRE
- TALL, DARK, AND HUNGRY
- A BITE TO REMEMBER
- BITE ME IF YOU CAN
- THE ACCIDENTAL VAMPIRE
- VAMPIRES ARE FOREVER
- VAMPIRE INTERRUPTED
- THE ROGUE HUNTER
- THE IMMORTAL HUNTER
- THE RENEGADE HUNTER
- BORN TO BITE
- HUNGRY FOR YOU
- THE RELUCTANT VAMPIRE
- UNDER A VAMPIRE MOON
There are also five runner-up prizes: a copy of Under a Vampire Moon and a Lynsay Sands beach ball.
Since I am all about the beach, here's the really tough and difficult question you have to answer: which beach do you think is best for reading? What's the best beach you've ever visited? Share – and we'll all have summer-beach envy together.
The contest will be open from today (24 April) through noon eastern on 1 May. I'll select the winners at random from the comments.
Standard disclaimers apply: I'm not being compensated for this giveaway, not even with spiffy luggage. Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 and wearing a hula skirt (but not a coconut bra – those things look itchy) to win. This giveaway is open to international residents (yay!). Clothing that is itchy is hereby outlawed in my immediate jurisdiction. Action figures and margaritas sold separately.
So, tell me: what beach do you think is the best for reading and relaxing? If you could visit a beach anywhere in the world with a book and no time limit, which would it be?
It is a toss up between Sanibel Island in Florida and the beaches in Sydney, Australia- both are beautiful and calming!
I have fond memories of traveling by New York City subway and bus to get to Orchard Beach in the Bronx when I was a young child. It was a pilgrimage to fun.
But my favorite beach is the one in Rota, Spain. I was stationed at the naval base there in the late 1970s and I had an apartment right in the main broadwalk square. I got to see the beach and the ocean daily through all seasons. The constant, soothing sound of the waves was the best!
It’s a toss up between Sanibel Island in Florida or the Sydney beaches in Australia. Both are wonderful and calming!
The beaches in San Diego, California.
The beautiful white sandy beach at our summer cottage… In those early morning hours when the beach is destered, I get my cup of tea, my book, my fav lounge chair and read, read, read. and when the beach starts to fill up with people, I move to our gazebo that over looks the water and beach and again read till my hearts content…
The Kittyhawk, NC of my childhood. I’m sure it’s wrecked by now but back then it was pristine and glorious. Clean sands, waving reeds, beautiful ocean, and a cottage with a screened in wrap around porch where I got to sleep in a hammock and read all night long. Glorious.
I love Lynsay Sands books! As for the beach, I’ve been to many in various parts of the world and they all have something different to offer. For reading? Probably a beach we stumbled upon in Maui, but I don’t know if I could find it again, so I’ll go with Majorca. Fabulous beach, warm, beautiful walk to get to it, protected from the wind and lots of shade from the rock cliffs to protect my skin. Perfect for reading all day long.
My favorite beach comes from my spring break many years ago when I was in college. We went to St. Augustine, Florida. I was young, healthy, and in love. The time and place were perfect in every way. <sigh></sigh>
I’ve been on beaches from the Florida Keys to Dover to Lago Maggiore in Italy, but my absolute favorite place to take a good book is in a microscopic cove in a teeny tiny state park in northern Alabama called Buck’s Pocket. Morgan’s Cove has almost no shoreline (or people) to speak of— it’s mostly smooth, weather worn boulders surrounding the most perfect lake you’ve ever seen in your life. It’s quiet, it’s tranquil, and between the abundant natural shade and zero risk getting soaked when the tide comes in, you can stay there with a book (or three) until the sun goes down. Plus, if you need to stretch your legs, there’s a canyon, waterfalls, caves, and other great stuff just a short hike away from shore! http://www.alapark.com/buckspo…
Aaaaand now I need to start planning my next trip back to Alabama. Dang it.
I haven’t had a lot of time to travel, but my favourite beach so far has been in Ixtapa, Mexico. It was so quiet and pretty. If I could go to any beach, I would love, love, love to go to Cap d’Antibes in the South of France… Just give me a beach blanket, a good book, and a cold frosty drink and I’d be golden 🙂
My favorite is Halcyon Cove in Antigua – paradise.
The best beach for reading would be Belle Air beach near Clearwater, FL. It’s super quiet and private.
As for a visit, I’d want to go to Gardner Bay, Espanola, Galapagos Islands. Relaxing and completely beautiful.
Maho Bay in St.Johns, Virgin Islands!
I like to read on overcast beaches – better to see the pages with, and reduces eyestrain. One of my favorite beaches for reading is on the coast of Washington State, near Moclips. (Great name, but even better is the nearby town, Humptulips! I mean, Hump…Tulips!)
I went on a high school trip to Costa Rica and the beaches there are amazing. Though we did have a problem with an over-aggressive monkey throwing things at us at one of them.
Going to sound very provincial here, but even though I’ve been on a lot of beaches over the years, the Chicago lake shore has to be my personal favorite for catching a book and some sun. The lake is freshwater and free of large nasty things that can bite, and the sand is clean and white and mixed with the tiny shells of the mussels and other small’uns that live in the area but never seem to actually appear. Ghost crabs? Hmmm, now there’s a book idea . . .
There’s a long pier that’s perfect for reading on, especially if you’ve packed a lunch. In fact, most of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” was read on that pier: my father and brother fishing for nothing in particular with bamboo poles, while I curled up in a beach chair and big hat, reading aloud about monsters and wizards and all that stuff that sometimes seems light years away from a broad sunny beach.
The perfect beach for reading? You weren’t kidding that’s a hard question! I haven’t got a lot of variety to choose from: Mertle Beach in south Carolina, the beaches of Hawaii, and the beaches in California. I would have to say that my favorite was the North Shore, just past Turtle Bay. the wind off the blue sea, warm sand, waves that just keep coming in, occasionally spotting a turtle or sea lion in the water or wandering up the beach…and of course, a good book! And extra points (in my book, anyway!) if it’s slightly overcast. I’m prone to sunburn and brightness-induced headaches, so having a bit of cloud cover works for me.
Though if I could go to ANY beach, I think I would pick a beach off the coast of Greece, facing the Mediterranean Sea. Just because I would love to add another ocean to my list, but also I hear it’s really gorgeous.
Will I get smacked if I say I’ve never been to a beach? *ducks*
About the only place I’ve been is a few small resevoirs and lakes in our state, and that was when I was a kid. Back then, I wasn’t quiet as heavy into the reading, so I would have spent my day in the water with my cousins and friends. 🙂
But I think a beautiful, secluded beach would be nice to spend hte whole day reading. Sunblock in hand (I burn easily), tons of cold water and Dr. Pepper, a umbrella to shade me and a comfy chair and I’m set! LOL.
Enjoy!
TBQ
Ooooh – Whitehaven Beach on the Whitsunday Islands!!! 7 kilometers of snow white sand and lovely, warm water.
Mentioning that brings back fond memories of a Christmas holiday some years back, which was spent sailing in the Whitsunday Islands – such a contrast to snowy Scandinavia! My worst problem then was my poor, sunburned bum – that was just about the only thing sticking out of the water when I was snorkeling. 😛
I think my favorite beach reading would be on a pier on lake Ithaca. I really love pebble beaches.
There’s a beach not a mile from our house here in Northern Ontario. No sand but it’s pretty quiet with a dock that’s just made for sitting and reading (or you can perch on the rocky outcrop nearby). But today with fresh snowfall? Not so much!
If I could go anywhere, I’d probably opt for a beach on the southern side of St. Maarten: lovely sandy spots perfect for lazing the day away (with a good book).
Any beach where you have enough shade, and not too many noisey folks. 🙂
(I’m not picky, as a child I was dragged to Lake Erie!)
Funny, as much as I dream of a beach vacation with a pile of books and a pitcher of margaritas, beaches don’t often feature in my leisure time. There are the beaches along the lakefront in Chicago, which are great, but CROWDED in the summer. Especially if there’s a beach volley ball tournament or the Air and Water Show. And there was that family day trip to the Indiana Dunes when the dead alewhite were washing up on the beach in mass quantities. Shudder.
That being said, where I go in my brain (and the picture on my wall at work helps) when I image sun and water and a pile of books is actually a rocky river bed in Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona that I found when I tried to use the entrance of the state park as a turnaround and the ranger said, “But don’t you want to see my three waterfalls and my hiking trail?” I figured, hey, what’s $5? Worth every penny – even though it’s now up around $8.
I love relaxing on Jekyll Island, Georgia with a good trashy novel. But, if I got to pick *any* beach, I’d go hang out at Paradise Beach in Mykonos, Greece.
The best beach for reading is the beach you’re on ;).
My favorite beach in the world is Cannon Beach on Oregon’s coast. While sunbathing doesn’t typically happen there from November – March each year, I dream of bringing a beach chair, appropriate snacks and beverages, and my Kindle to the first day over seventy degrees this year.
Cannon Beach is quiet, tranquil, and a balm for the soul. To quote the piece of art I bought there several years back: I go to the sea to breathe.
Honestly my favorite beach to read was in Prince Edward Island at the Twin Shores trailer park. Since it wasn’t a provincial park you were allowed to bring alcohol down to the water. I sat in a beach chair in the ocean with a cooler and a Bertrice Small book – it was pure heaven.
I’m heading to Oahu in June and planning on lots of reading time. I’m sure I could finish half the Argeneau series in my week there. In between umbrella drinks and cabana boys…
My beach experience is sadly limited to Corpus Christi, South Padre Island, and Waikiki. None of those would be my favorite beach to read at because they’re all too loud and busy. My ideal beach would be on a quiet lagoon with a humongous umbrella to protect me from the sun, a comfortable chaise lounge, and a gorgeous cabana boy who brings me yummy food and delicious drinks. Anyone know of a place like that?
My favorite local beach is Rockaway Beach. The water there can get pretty rough so I like it best for just hanging out (and reading). My absolute favorite place for beachiness is Bermuda. I’m partial to it because it’s the first international beach I ever visited and I was flabbergasted by how clear/clean/not smelly the water was, especially compared to Coney Island. I still have trouble believing that Coney Island and Bermuda water exist on the same planet, never mind technically being the same body of water.
My favorite beach is the one in Key Largo Kampground in Key Largo, Florida. My family took a trip there every year for my entire childhood and I still miss it. The beach was small, but in a protected little area where you had the benefit of seeing the waves and the boats without having to worry about being washed away.
It was super quiet, the sounds of birds and surf making pleasant background music. Pristine white sand, tidal pools, and perfect places for sand castles made it a great place to kick back and relax. I’ll never forget going snorkeling and seeing manatees just outside the little cove.
I was too young and too busy playing to do much reading there, but looking back I can just imagine kicking back on a towel or lounge chair and sunning myself with an awesome book. Damn you SBTB, now I need to save up for a vacation and go back! XD
I lived on Nantasket Beach in Massachusetts when I was young and spent a lot of time reading there. It’s too cold to swim in most of the year, not that that stops it from being crowded in the summer – it’s not ideal in the summer, but in early autumn I recommend it highly. There’s a beach on the west coast of Crete, and another in southern Maui (really all of Maui), that vie with somewhere in Jamaica (Ocho Rios possibly?) for the loveliest beach I’ve ever been to, but the loveliest beaches don’t tempt one to read as much. San Augustinillo in Oaxaca might be the ideal, even though it’s unfairly gorgeous. It’s hard to get to and difficult to swim in but neighboring beaches have even crazier tides so it’s pretty devoid of people, even surfers. Ladies stroll along the beach periodically selling coconuts, tlayudas, and every now and then massages, so you hardly ever have to leave your hammock under the palm trees. You might want to go swim with dolphins or check out the sea turtles or something when you’ve run out of books. Last time I was there there was no book store, and one hotel that had internet…sometimes. And it’s a long and torturous bus ride even from Oaxaca City, so be sure to pack a lot a lot of books.
I love any warm, sunny beach with just a light steady breeze for reading. I would very much love to visit some South Pacific islands, like Fiji or Tahiti.
The best beach I ever went to was in St. Croix, where the cruise ships don’t go in the Virgin Islands. One of the resorts has an amazing veranda that overlooks the ocean, spent all day there just reading, didn’t realize I was only half in the sun all day. Got a very nice sunburn down half by body and on my right arm, but not the left! Best vacation ever.
My husband and I went to Negril Jamaica for our honeymoon and it was the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen. We loved it there so much! The sand was a mixture of honey-colored and white and the palm trees were tall and offered much needed shade. The ocean is absolutely clear and beautiful.
Third Beach, Stanley Park in Vancouver is lovely – you have to hike through a forest to get to it but it’s worth it. Though I admit I’m not much for reading on the beach – my precious books could get damaged – so I usually bring fashion mags instead.
I’ve only ever read at two beaches: one was in Cancun and the other was near Los Angeles. Of the two, I would choose Cancun, just because the water is so blue and clear and beautiful. It’s idyllic out there. Well, it was ten years ago anyway. Not sure I’d be venturing into Mexico with the current political climate. But the beach was beautiful.
That bag is amazing!
As for beaches, I’m not a connoisseur, by any means. And I’m not a big fan of *sand*. I think probably the best beach I know of for reading would be the one just outside of the Black Rock resort in Ucluelet. Lounging in bed, with the windows open so you can hear the crash of the surf and see the moss draped trees outside (and the occasional hiker) it sets up the perfect environment for reading and tea and coffee and, later, wine. Because who wants to get out of bed?
Cancun is beautiful, but my favorite beaches are those of the Great Lakes, especially the sandy ones on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan. Clear water, waves, and no salt. 🙂
Technically, my favorite beach isn’t quite the beach, but a cliff overlooking a beach. Swami’s beach, in Encinitas, CA, is the best reading spot in the whole world. Quiet except for the crash of the surf, a tranquil garden setting with waves as far as the eye can see. Mmmmmm.