Book Fetish

Plan a Book-Themed Beach Day With These Reading Accessories

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Julia Rittenberg

Senior Contributor

Julia is a professional nerd who can be spotted in the wild lounging with books in the park in Brooklyn, NY. She has a BA in International Studies from the University of Chicago and an MA in Media Studies from Pratt Institute. She loves fandom, theater, cheese, and Edith Piaf. Find her at juliarittenberg.com.

When preparing for a summer beach day, representing your favorite books is part of the fun of shopping. I go to the beach to plop down and read a great book, in addition to jumping in the water at the end of a chapter. Since beach days are supposed to be fun, getting accessories is part of the joy of the summer beach days for me. I love to bring at least three books to the beach in case my mood changes throughout the day, but that can get a little heavy if they’re all hardcovers.  

Reading at the beach is so common that there is a whole genre built around it: the beach read. These are mostly fun, easy-to-read books that have an engaging enough plot to keep you reading for the whole day. However, fans of all kinds of books would define many different genres as their favorite beach reads. Whether you’re a high fantasy obsessive or exclusively read nonfiction, whatever book you decide to bring is a beach read.

Before you get all the items to set up your beach area, you can take a summer reading quiz to figure out what beach reads will float your boogie board. Also, beach read suggestions are all over the place for fans of all genres, so you’ll definitely be able to find the perfect book pairing for your book-themed beach day.

Bookish Towels

Towel with a pile of books print on it

For those of us who wish we could bring a bigger book pile to the beach. $25

Towel printed with comics sound effects

Represent comics fandom at the beach with a comics onomatopoeia towel. $37

Literary Water Bottles

Great Gatsby water bottle

Keep the eyes of T.J. Eckelburg close with this Great Gatsby water bottle. $29

Water bottle with the text "What's what I do: I read books and I know things"

In addition to keeping track of your reading, stay hydrated at the beach and encourage yourself to hit your water goals. $18

Library checkout card water bottle

Have you ever thought about how the taste of water from a library water fountain is better? Put some of it in this checkout card bottle and take it to the beach. $30

Water bottle with "Just One More Chapter" text

I can stop whenever I want: I just need to finish this one more chapter. On an unrelated note, I haven’t slept in days. $9

Totes to Carry Books and Beach Items

Tote bag with a Hobbit hole print

Imagine a day at a Hobbit hole in the Shire with this fall-themed tote bag. $25

Tote with Bookworm in a retro font on it

Show off your retro literary style with another great canvas tote bag to carry snacks and books. $17

"Beaching Not Teaching" tote bag

This is the best tote bag for all the teachers who are taking a break from student papers and indulging in all the beach reads they can for the summer. $12

Tote bag with a cartoon figure balancing a book on their head

An adorably bookish design is always fun to bring on a beach day. $20.00

Caps for Book Fans

Baseball cap embroidered with a cat sitting on a book

You probably can’t take your cat to the beach, but you can wear this bookish cat hat, which is basically like bringing them along. $18

Raised by booooks cap, with a wolf howling at the moon beside a stack of books

Let everyone know how you read a lot as a kid while protecting your face from the sun at the beach. $18

Camp Halfblood vintage-style baseball cap

Celebrate one of the most fun Greek mythology summer camps with this Camp Half-Blood hat. $23

Finally, you can let everyone know you’re an all-purpose book nerd in the hot sun. $23