Seaside Books Giveaway

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We stole this idea from Amanda Dykes, who was a guest on a podcast episode of Read-Aloud Revival, talking about various writerly things, but also recommending some favorite seaside-set books.

We figured, why not do a blog post featuring beach reads—meaning books with actual beach-like words on the cover. We expanded it to include recent titles with a water-related word in the title. Here are a few of them:

The Ebb Tide by Beverly Lewis
Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes
To the Farthest Shores by Elizabeth Camden
The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright
The Lady of Tarpon Springs by Judith Miller
The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey
Between Two Shores by Jocelyn Green
Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin
Waves of Mercy by Lynn Austin

(For a bonus, we found a few more that had a watery scene depicted on the front cover, just not in the title: Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano, Keturah by Lisa Bergren, Shelter of the Most High by Connilyn Cossette, Flight of the Raven by Morgan Busse, Sweet on You by Becky Wade, and Traces of Guilt by Dee Henderson. We’re probably forgetting some!)

And just for fun, a giveaway! We’ll pick three winners on August 1 to win their choice of one of these seaside books. To enter, just comment on this post with a favorite watery vacation spot you’ve been to. (River, ocean, hot springs, indoor pool…anything goes!)

337 thoughts on “Seaside Books Giveaway”

  3. My favorite water vacation spots are on mountain lakes or rivers. They tend to be cooler, quieter, and less crowded than the beach, and since I love the mountains it’s a double win!

  4. My favorite water spot vacation was Niagra Falls on our 25th anniversary. The falls are just amazing and defy description!

  7. This is a wonderful idea. Thank you for sharing. I really like going to Lake Michigan a short ways out of Chicago. The water is wonderful. There are always birds around.

    • I live on the Oregon coast so I always have a water view 🙂 But my favorite vacation spot with my husband was visiting Crater Lake Oregon! I moved here in 1996 and always wanted to go there and we finally made it for our anniversary trip two years ago. It’s breathtaking!

      Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to win one of these fabulous books! What a great prize for an avid reader 😊

  8. My favorite watery vacation spot is Sunset Beach, NC. I suspect that has everything to do with the fact that my sister lives there. Ha!

  10. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on vacation at all, let alone a watery one, but I do occasionally make it to the local pool with my kids. Someday, though, I am going to go whale watching and that will be awesome.

  11. I’m reading “Far Side of the Sea” right now. Looking forward to adding the other books to my reading list. And – I love the beach. Every summer I spend a week on the beach.

  14. My favorite water spot is White Fish Point in the upper peninsula of Michigan. The water is crystal clear with beautiful and colorful Great Lakes rocks. Perfect place to watch the big ships go by and enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior.

  18. It wasn’t a vacation spot, but a summer camp. I went to a girls’ camp in North Carolina when I was 11 and 12 years old, and the waterfalls and creeks up there were just beautiful.

  19. My favorite spot is the Spearfish Creek in South Dakota. I could stay for days just listening to the rushing waters. Beautiful!!

  21. I love Lake Superior (especially in Duluth)–storm or calm, winter or summer, it’s absolutely majestic. You can swim, surf, and sun-bathe on ice bergs, but you don’t have to worry about sharks or jellyfish or other man-eating or venomous critters.

  22. A few years ago, we spent two weeks in Cape San Blas, Florida. Remote and beautiful! Clean , peaceful beaches. Beautiful scenery during the day and the nights are filled with stars. I loved that trip!

  23. When I was a child we would travel to Pennsylvania and halfway was a cottage on Lake Erie owned by a relative. I couldn’t swim but would go out as far as my chest and float. Then when we got to Pennsylvania, we used to pile in my cousin’s TR4 convertible and go to Cold Springs to a pool. It lived up to its name!

  25. My husband and I just returned from a vacation at Lake Okoboji in Iowa, a lovely slice of “coastal living” in the middle of the Heartland.

  26. Our absolute favourite beach is Myrtle Beach, SC there is nothing like watching the sunrise and seeing Gods’s creation!

  27. My favorite watery vacation spot would be Holden Beach, NC where we ventured with family last year. There’s nothing like walking barefoot on the beach with your hubby on one side and your daughter on the other, watching the sky transform from one magnificent canvas to another until the last finally slips behind the sandy dunes and leaves you breathless and in the dark. Thanks for the opportunity to relive it and to win a wonderful book! Blessings to you all. 🙂

  29. So many favorite water places, but since it is the 50th Anniversary of the tornado that hit the Bethany Cabins, I’ll say Lake Roosevelt – though I have more memories of reading Bethany books on the dock at the Bethany Cabins on Lake Pokegama… And, I’d love some new reading materials for reading on the dock on my next lake vacation.

  30. I love the Valley of the Waves in Sun City, South Africa 🌅🌊⛱️! I’ve also been on a cruise to Mozambique’s Portuguese Island and it was paradise🌴🐠🏝️🏖️.
    (P.S. I live in South Africa, am I still eligible for the giveaway?✨)
    Blessings,
    Rachael 🤗

  38. My husband dug out a backyard pool for me years ago and it has been my sweet spot to swim, sun, and read! We live in the country and it’s super peaceful too!

  39. We’ve enjoyed Hilton Head, SC and Ocean City, NJ. Pools – indoor and outdoor – are our second home since the children swim all year round.

  40. I was raised by Lake Michigan and now live in Southern California where I can see the Pacific Ocean from one corner of the house. The man made lake that graces our neighborhood listens in the morning sunlight, so you could say I gravitate to water. Water and mountains are my favorite view and I’m blessed to see both from my own back yard.

  41. We’ve enjoyed Hilton Head, SC and Ocean City, NJ. Pools – indoor and outdoor – are our second home since the children swim competitively.

  42. Best watery vacation spot… where I spent my honeymoon! Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park, Maine!!

  43. There’s a cabin by a lake my sister and I went last year. There wasn’t any internet or cell service. We sit on the deck, read books, went swimming and watched old movies. It was only for a weekend but it was the most relaxing weekend ever. Wish I was there right

  44. My favorite is going to the Oregon Coast. My first trip was during college for spring break. I fell in love and didn’t want to leave! My next trip to the coast was an epic sister trip. 3 of my sisters and I, a rented car, no agenda, exploring the coast and all its hidden treasures. Next year I’m returning to the coast with my husband and our boys. I’m excited to share my favorite place with them!

  45. I took my first and only beach trip/vacation when I was two years old. My parents, five siblings, and my grandparents drove to Florida where we spent several days together. Unfortunately, I was too young to rise in the little paddle boats, but Grandma and I enjoyed our time together on the warm, sandy beach. Someday, I hope I can visit the beach again.

  46. We enjoyed spending time on the white sand beaches of Destin, FL and seeing the glaciers in Alaska. Total opposites, but both so beautiful and enjoyable!

  48. I used to live near St.Joe, Michigan and I loved watching the sun set over the lake, walking on the pier, listening the waves crash, and enjoying all the shops up along the bluff! There was always something interesting going on. Now I live 30 minutes away in flat boring Indiana. ☹️

  50. My family took a trip to Holland MI when I was a teen and we walked along the beach of Lake MI and out a rock jetty to the lighthouse there. It was cold that day and the beach was deserted but the view was so worth it! 🙂 – Sarah

  51. We’re not really beach people, but we did take a river cruise in Norfolk one time that went by the Naval Station docks and told you about all the ships. It was very interesting, and we saw dolphins!

  52. Growing up it was Lake Michigan – and often. Now I live in the desert of Southern New Mexico – we had lots of “beach” well, sand anyway. Semi-locally we go to Elephant Butte Lake

  55. My favorite water spot is a lake in Central Oregon where approximately 8 families camp to enjoy a variety of water sports. We have done this for about 27 years.

  62. I LOVE Pt. Betsie Lighthouse/beach in Frankfort, MI and Mustang Island off of Corpus Christi, TX. Frankfort is favored a but more.. no jellyfish washed up on shore. 😜 Also, an “ugly beach” (per the locals) in Costa Rica. All diverse beaches, but soooo refreshing!! 😍

  66. Acadia National Park in Maine, and the view of Cranberry Bay and the Atlantic from the top of Cadillac Mountain. Or Lake Michigan, from the patio of Camp Arcadia, MI.

  67. We live in Florida, with lots of water spots around. But I have to say my favorite spots of water would be the waterfalls of North Carolina. Such a refreshing place to be.

  68. Grand Lake St. Mary’s Ohio — the lake was just outside our cabin and there was a pool with a zero depth section that was perfect for the little ones. They also caught their first fish during the fishing contest at the lake.

  72. If I could go there, my favorite would be along the river where I grew up. My father was in the Navy, and my sisters and I used to get excited to see ships going up and down the channel that was in the middle of the river.

  73. Destin, Florida was beautiful, although Jekyll Island, Georgia, was amazing, too. I felt a connection to God while I was there.

  81. I love seaside and beach reads! I grew up by a large lake and most of my books had beach sand lodged between their pages. Going camping by the sea was such a treat back then, and I thought nothing could be more soul-nourishing than the northern shores. Until. Until I had my first vacation in Florida. I fell in love with the beaches there and the color of the water. Navarre and Shell Island are my favorite spots so far. I am so looking forward to the day I can go back and just drink in all the shades of the blue waters and make the sand squeak under my bare feet again.

  87. I love Christian Fiction and there is no better way to spend a day than with a good book at the beach or with a beach theme!

  88. When I took a trip to Hawaii a long time ago, what beautiful beaches and gorgeous places to visit. Thanks for this amazing giveaway.

  90. My favorite “watery” places to vacation and visit are waterfalls! I love the walk to find these peaceful places that are usually hidden away. The sound of the water rushing over the side of rocks is exhilarating, but the space around the fall is peaceful. They are examples of the beautiful creation God made for us to enjoy.

  91. It’s technically not a vacation spot, but the creeks near Gatlinburg, TN are so cool! The aromas, the sounds of the creeks, observing them, just wading in them–they are seriously just the best. ♥️♥️♥️

  93. Best water vacation spots are Bandon, OR on the Pacific Coast and the Treasure Coast in Florida and the Atlantic Coast.

  94. Boiler beach in Kincardine,Ontario,Canada is my favorite water vacation spot . Because that is where my family and friends took me in my childhood years. I still go there sometimes when I fly home to visit my family,relatives and friends.

  98. Cape Cod and San Diego are my absolute favorites – Cape Cod for the sunrises and San Diego for the sunsets! 🙂

  102. As close as I like to get to water is reading about it. That’s why I only have a shower and no tub. But I do like to visit my friends in Washington state and there are some very nice places to go and see water there.

  106. I love the water of Santa Barbara. There was a small spot with a rock in form of a recliner so smooth that you could lay there and relax with a book while watching the waves come in and feeling the breeze of salt water. Amazing place it is.

  107. My favorite watery spot right now is Tony Grove Lake which is up the canyon from me and has the most gorgeous display of wildflowers I’ve ever seen.

  109. one place I was able to visit this summer is my city’s local park. It has more than one water fountain and swings covered by a canopy that makes for a most peaceful & refreshing day. Plus, it is totally free to me and to others.

  110. We are excited to spend a month this summer at our cottage on a lake in Indiana. The cottage has been in the family for over 100 years and is still a favorite gathering place. The water sports offered and opportunities to play together have been popular with 5 generations of family.

  112. Yesterday I got to go on a whale watching trip in Monterey Bay, out of Santa Cruz, California. So fun to see a mama and baby humpback pair feeding!

  122. When I was little, we lived in upstate New York and would frequently bring guests to see Niagra Falls and Lake Ontario. I remember going behind the waterfall at Niagra Falls, and riding the carousel next to the beach at Lake Ontario.

  124. Every year since I was 2 my family has gone to Crescent Lake Bible Camp in Rhinelander, WI. It is a beautiful location and a fun atmosphere. I’m now married (my husband & I met at CLBC when we were kids) and we take our three children every summer.

  129. My favorite spot is Chincoteague, Virginia! We visit near the off season when we can just sit on the beach and watch the waves. Of course, I must gather seashells, too. I could stay there forever!

  131. Two watery spots come to mind. We vacationed in Savannah, GA for our 35th wedding anniversary, and spent an afternoon on Tybee Island Beach. The ocean’s majesty was amazing! The other spot was at Whitefish Point, MI on Lake Superior. Gorgeous!

  132. My favorite watery vacation was is a childhood memory where we camped next to a stream–a clear cold Colorado stream in the mountains. My brothers and I had fun cooling off and searching the rocky stream bed for crystals which were plentiful in the area!

  133. My favorite water spot vacation is every year with my husband and 2 boys on the beach of Black Sea in Bulgaria, spending time in Inductive Bible Study and just enjoying reading books!

  134. My most favorite watery spot to vacation is on the Eel River in Northern California. When I was young we would go camping at a place called Standish and Hickey. It’s up where all the iconic red wood trees are. Best place ever. The gorgeous, ginormous trees, the beautiful river, the campfires … it’s a small slice of heaven!

  135. Our favorite place to go near the water is camping on Long Beach Peninsula in Washington State. It is one of the few stretches of sandy beach in the state where we can walk, with beautiful views of the ocean. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.

  136. My favorite watery vacation would be visiting Upper Saranac Lake in The Adirondacks of New York State. So beautiful!!!

  139. How fun!
    Each year we go to an indoor hot springs, within an hours drive of our house, for an entire week of swimming lessons and few time swimming. It’s the highlight of our summer!

  143. I haven’t been on vacation for years but in college I got to do summer missions in Alaska and we camped on the banks of the Kobuk River. I loved it!

  145. One of favorite spot is Las Cuevas, Trinidad. It is simply gorgeous and quiet. You get to enjoy the water and some yummy bake and shark with all the toppings at the end of the day.

  150. The Gulf Shores are great and not but a few hours from where I live. I also went on a Caribbean Cruise and it was wonderful to stand on the shores in Mexico

  151. From a very young age, water has calmed me, excited me, and I love the ocean, rivers, and mountain waterfalls. I can’t pick just one. I live near a lake now. 😄

  154. Favorite watery vacation spot? For spring break this year my family and I took a week-long trip to Virginia Beach and it was the best!! So, yes, that’s my favorite watery vacation spot. I just love the beach 😍

  155. Bull Shoals lake and the White River in Arkansas.
    We did a family vacation there this month, camping, kayaking, pontoon boat…it was a blast!

  156. Ooops, my comment went in the wrong place! It posted as a reply to someone else’s comment and I can’t delete it. Sorry! Here’s what I said:

    I live on the Oregon coast so I always have a water view 🙂 But my favorite vacation spot with my husband was visiting Crater Lake Oregon! I moved here in 1996 and always wanted to go there and we finally made it for our anniversary trip two years ago. It’s breathtaking!

    Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to win one of these fabulous books! What a great prize for an avid reader 😊

  157. My favorite watery place is “up north” in Oscoda, MI. My family has a cottage that is right on Lake Huron. They built the place when I was 12 (I’ll be 52 soon) and growing up we spent our summers up there. My husband proposed to me on the shore during a moonlight stroll on the beach. We have brought our kids up there nearly every summer.

  158. Don’t go to beach much because my husband can’t the sun…he had a four bypasses… So we stayed close to our home…but my favorite would beach in
    Tampa forgot the name they have changed it we were there 39 years ago that’s were he ask me to marry him !!!!!

  163. Cape cod and the beautiful ocean! ❤️ Although, a close second is my hometown of Grand Haven, Michigan. Our beaches are some of the best!

  165. The Outer Banks of North Carolina – I’ve been there maybe three times in my life and it’s always beautiful ❤️

  173. Visiting Foz de Iguazu, famous Iguazu Falls, Brazil, on our honeymoon years ago. . . Thanks for the opportunity to enter a giveaway! Would love to win print copies of any/all of these books:)

  176. One of my favorite watery vacations was last year on Jekyll Island in Georgia! Beautiful ocean beaches & loved the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center! Visits to St Simon Island & Tybee Island were close jaunts with amazing ocean bonding too!

  183. We spent our vacation this year at Isle of Palms, SC just outside of Charleston. Both were absolutely beautiful places with fantastic ocean views.

  185. Oh my goodness – I’m going with Point Lobos in California- such a beautiful place with stunning views and a beautiful little beach that you hike down to with water the color of aquamarine! It’s not far from where I grew up – Monterey, CA, but that was always my favorite spot!

  186. So many great places, but the beach outside our condo on Maui stands out. Sea turtles swam there all the time (with or without us) and the surf shushed to us all night long. Paradise!

  189. For many, many years we farmed and vacations were for other people. We did, however, have a river that ran along some of our farm land and there was a small piece of land that jutted out into the river. Our “island” was a place that we could go to play and cool off after working in the heat. Fun times and precious memories♥️

  190. My favorite watery vacation spot would have to be the shore – I love visited the New Jersey beaches of Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor (visiting the Wetlands), and Avalon. But I love visiting them in the fall and winter when there are less people around.

  191. My mother spent summers in New Suffolk and New London, CT, both sides of the Long Island Sound. My Grandfather took us to Rockaway Beach and Coney Island as well as the Long Island Sound. We spent a lot of summers at the beach. Now we live closer to the mountains. But I still read a lot in the summer!

  194. When I was little in the forties my family would go to World’s End State Park in Pennsylvania. There was a bottomless swimming area caused by a whirl pool. I loved to swim across it. My dad would come after me to make sure I was ok.

  195. I love the beach and we go to Padre Island at least once a year since it’s only 2 & 1/2 hours away. However some beaches I’ve seen and wish to revisit are, South Padre Island and Pensacola.

  200. While I love to go to the ocean, that isn’t always feasible but there is a small lake we like to go to in the summer in Iowa called Clear Lake that is fun with a beach and touristy things. It is especially fun on the fourth of July.

  205. After we retired we redid the back yard. Now the Koi pond and large shady patio is my favorite place to relax and read. Awesome giveaway, thanks!

  206. Probably not exactly what you were thinking, but Silverwood theme park in Idaho! I’ve been there a couple times chaperoning band kids, and it’s been tons of fun! I’d love to go back just to be there on vacation!

  207. I’m not really into water parks but I did go to Water County U.S.A. in Williamsburg, Virginia. Also went to one here in Ohio when Six Flags was in Aurora. One part was a water park. I can’t swim so I don’t like going underwater.

  213. I’ve been to a lot of nice watery vacation spots, but my favorite by far is the Lake District in NW England…lakes galore, picturesque streams, and waterfalls!

  215. My husband and I traveled from Kentucky to Carolina Beach in North Carolina for our honeymoon. We made that same trip for our 5th anniversary. That was 13 years ago, but that place holds so many sweet memories for us.

  228. At St. Pete Beach, reclining in a hammock between two palm trees, the sun setting in a blaze of reds, oranges, and corals over the Gulf, and not too far out, two dolphins are jumping in unison. I’ll never forget the image.

  230. Just came back from Caribbean cruise, had a wonderful time but I always have books with me. Would love to win!

  231. The most awe-inspiring place has to be Niagara Falls, but for pure enjoyment playing in the creek (crick) as a child on my grandparent’s farm in MN. Fun memories!

  232. My favorite watery vacation spot would be anywhere in the Tennessee mountain area’s where there are big lakes/Tennessee River.

  234. Many years ago I loved on Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in NY. I loved being out on our sailboat and canoeing in the Catskills. I talked my daughter into doing a road trip there where we saw 13 beautiful waterfalls… Great place!

  235. My favorite watery vacation spot is sitting on my deck reading and watching the yard sprinkler! Silly but relaxing as I’m not a beach person! Loved going boat riding with family last month on a nearby lake! Lots of fun!

  237. San Simeon, California
    It’s a beautiful little part of the west coast that doesn’t get as populated as the surrounding beaches. So pretty.

  247. Our favorite water spot is Mt Princeton hot Springs in Colorado. Even in winter you can find a cozy spot in the creek and stay warm.

  248. One of my favorite vacation spots is the southern coast of Maine from York Beach north to Kennebunkport. Nothing like it. So beautiful!!!!

  249. I love getting a lawn chair and a good book going to the creek at Chickasaw National Recreation Park. My daughters and I can sit in the sun and water for hours reading peacefully.
    I gave my love of reading to my daughters and Granddaughter.

  253. I spent my summers on a lake in Minnesota where my great grandfather bought 90+ wooded acres and 3/4 mile shoreline. It’s still in our family and the only undeveloped shoreline around the entire lake. My little piece of heaven on earth.

  255. Copper Creek, Virginia (rural SW Virginia where my dad grew up)
    Panama City Beach, Florida (sugar white sands where I’ve been going since a child)
    Anna Maria Island, Florida (beautiful west Florida island where my brother lives)
    Orange Beach, Alabama (husband is from Alabama)
    Spruce Flats Falls, GSMNP, TN (where my soul is refreshed in the Smoky Mountains). They all call me back.

  257. I’m not much of a water or beach person, but I have been to a couple of beaches. I would have to say Waikiki Beach is my favorite!

  260. Pictured Rocks National Park in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula is the most scenic and beautiful spot! Huge sandstone cliffs that drop up to 200 feet into Lake Superior! Breathtaking!

  266. I guess one of my favorite watery places is the gulf side of Florida. Love the beaches there. Also love the river that flows through Chalk Creek Canyon by Mount Princeton in Colorado. Another favorite of mine is Lake Louis in The Canadian Rockies and Morraine Lake. These lakes are so very beautiful and peaceful!!

  268. I loved the little creek behind my grandparents house that I would swim in as a child. Such fun memories.

  270. I enjoy going to Lanikai Beach, Shakes Cove, or Haunama Bay on Oahu for snorkeling. The fish are beautiful and it’s always fun spotting a turtle as well!

  274. I love the Gulf of Mexico beach at Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL and I also love time spent at a very small lake named Clear Lake outside of Buchanan, MI where we go to Family Camp!

  275. You can’t beat the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Best beaches and stunning views along an amazing coastline. Also love Torquay at the start of this great road trip.

  277. A few years ago, we went to Vancouver British Columbia. It was December, so we weren’t able to enjoy the water ourselves, but the moment I saw Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway, it took my breath away! I’m amazed that anyone can live there like an ordinary person. I’d love to go back and watch the sea lions frolicking.

  280. One of my favorite vacations was a Caribbean Cruise. I loved spending time on the various beaches of the ports we stopped at. More recently I was in Florida at Siesta Key beach. Such a beautiful beach.

  282. I haven’t been to that many. But I love going on trips to my grandparents, visiting the river next to their house where I have many memories and also going to swim in another river several miles away. Riding in the back of the truck on the way there and back makes it extra fun!

  283. My favorite place is Taylor Reservoir west of Buena Vista, CO accesible in the summer over Cottonwood Pass. I’t in between Crested Butte and Gunnison.

  284. Two favorite beach spots and they both revolve around trips to visit our Navy son and his family: San Diego and Whidbey Island, WA! Can’t wait for my next trip to his new base in Naples, Italy!!

  289. We haven’t really gone to many watery vacation spots, but I do enjoy going to hotels or waterparks with my family. My favorites were the Farmstead Inn and Splash Universe (which is now the Blue Gate Garden Inn) in Shipshewana, IN.

  290. Fort Walton Beach, FL, especially Okaloosa Island. I love walking the beach during the evening and watching the waves.

  291. My favorite watery vacation spot is Corona Del Mar Beach, CA. I have so many good memories and I think of that beach! Having fun spending time with friends and family at picnics and just relaxing hearing the beatiful waves and feeling the cool ocean breeze. Lol! Just thinking about it makes me want to go back!

  297. I love all water. My favorite activities are water related. I have loved ocean surfing and wave running in lakes. 💕

  298. There’s no place like Lake Michigan! Beach towns all the way from north to south along the West Michigan coastline–awesome!

  301. The beach – nothing like having the sound of the waves as the background music for whatever book I’m reading.

  325. We live really close to Lake Michigan so I always love spending my summer days on the beach there. But I have been to the ocean on the East Coast before which was amazing!!

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