Books about Seaside from Amazon.com

Dear Reader,

I'm living a life I couldn't even have dreamed of a few years ago. I'm married to Bobby Polgar now (you know, the famous chess champion who just happens to be the man I love!). And we've got this beautiful house with a view of Puget Sound.

Lately something's been worrying Bobby, though. When I asked, he said he was 'protecting his queen' and I got the oddest feeling he wasn't talking about chess but about me. He wouldn't say anything else.

Do you remember Get Nailed, the beauty salon in Cedar Cove? I still work there. I'll tell you about my friend Rachel, who's got two men interested in her (count 'em, two). And I'll let you in on what I've heard about Linnette McAfee, who left town when her love life fell apart. (That kind of trouble I know all about.) Come in soon for a manicure and a chat, okay?

Teri ( Miller) Polgar.
Price: $0.01 [Notify me when price goes down.]

beach house.
The words alone have the hypnotic associations Henry James once famously ascribed to summer afternoon–“the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Lifelong beach girl Mary Emmerling captures that implicit promise of freedom in her captivating volume celebrating the American beach cottage.

Much of the beach house’s allure is in its reflection of a simpler way of life, a pared-down existence where the breeze is the housekeeper, the furnishings don’t mind a damp swimsuit, and the most precious treasures are seashells and memories. In Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages, Mary invites us into seventeen coastal retreats that capture that spirit, and introduces us to the people who take joy from them.

Join Mary on a warm, intimate tour of unique seaside escapes, including:

•A pint-sized artist’s studio in Key West
•A dramatic black-and-white retreat in Newport Beach, California
•A shell-lined jewel box in Laguna Beach, California
•A nautically inspired Cape Cod getaway
•A haven in Galveston, Texas, with sea-grass rugs and matchstick blinds
•The homes of designers such as Barclay Butera and Rachel Ashwell
•Mary’s own charming cottage, complete with beach balls, sailfish, and beaded curtains

With gorgeously photographed profiles of easy-going seaside homes and innovative design solutions for everyday living, Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages is both beautiful and inspirational. Like a beloved seaside haven, this is a book to return to again and again.
.
Price: $17.80 [Notify me when price goes down.]

'Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit.

But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he's not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn't run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead.

But hold on! There's an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It's none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel's not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say "Kris Kringle," he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.

Move over, Charles Dickens -- it's Christopher Moore time.

.
Price: $6.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Following up on Sally John’s bestselling Beach House series (The Beach House and Castles in the Sand—nearly 45,000 in combined sales) is a brand–new Beach House book from veteran Harvest House novelist Trish Perry.

Tiffany LeBoeuf recently lost her mother to cancer. Still grieving, Tiffany seeks rest for her body and soul at a cozy beach house in San Diego. A scheduling mix–up causes a double booking, and Tiffany ends up sharing the house with a woman named Eve. When Eve’s boyfriend, Jeremy, arrives to surprise Eve, he’s surprised to see Tiffany as well. He settles in at the beach house next door, and what happens after that surprises them all.

A fun, contemporary romance about how God uses even our mistakes to bring about His divine purposes. Beach Dreams is the perfect get–away read.

.
Price: $6.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Coastal Style is a magnificent celebration of simple shoreside life. Featuring hundreds of fabulous photographs of homes around the world, it covers all aspects of decorative seaside style—from the creation of light and breezy rooms to the selection of simple furniture and furnishings that echo the natural beauty of the surf and sand. Also featured are tips on the best fabrics to use—from nautical stripes to cool cotton canvas—and advice on coastal colors, from shades of oyster gray to bold splashes of aquamarine. Whatever type of home you have, from a high-rise apartment to a getaway in the country, you can create a beachy feel. Simply follow Sally Hayden and Alice Whately’s room-by-room guide to seaside chic, and you will discover how to make tranquil living areas, balmy bedrooms, and shipshape kitchens. Cool understatement is key—and this extends to marine-inspired bathrooms and outdoor living areas that celebrate the lazy elegance of sun-warmed decks and the pleasure of cooking and eating al fresco. • Fabulous photographs by Paul Massey. • Hundreds of photographs provide inspiration for coastal style, whatever type of home you have..
Price: $18.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This brand-new mystery series spins a yarn about knitters and murder in a quaint seaside village.

Not long after Isabel “Izzy” Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the sleepy fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside Knitters.

Izzy raises some eyebrows when she rents the apartment above her shop to Angie Archer, whose reputation for loose behavior and a quick temper has made her unpopular with many locals. But could any of them have wanted her dead? Angie’s body is discovered drowned in the harbor, her long red hair tangled like seaweed in a lobster trap.

An official investigation rules the death an accident. There are speculations of too many whiskey sours, a slippery wharf, a dark night… But Izzy and the Seaside Knitters smell something fishy. When several strange incidents occur above the shop, the women decide to take matters into their own hands. But before long, their small-town sense of security is frayed, and the threat of more violence hangs over this tightly knit community..
Price: $14.93 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Extraordinary coastal living on five continents--from Iceland to Chile--showcases designs from minimalist to cozy, from ethnic to modern, all reflecting the owners' love for the deep blue..
Price: $26.37 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The first release in The Beach House series is the story of four women, friends from childhood, who reunite to celebrate their fortieth birthdays. After the distance of time and geography, they look forward to the camaraderie of old friends and the escape from everyday life as they stay at a San Diego beach house.

When thoughts and discussion turn to the history of their friendship, will problems of the past threaten to overtake the present?

The quest for understanding, identity, faith, and friendship provides a universal thread in this tender and charming story from Sally John that will connect with women from all walks of life.

.
Price: $4.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Incandescent prose. Beautifully textured characterisation Transparent narratives. The adjectives to describe the writing of John Banville are all affirmative, and The Sea is a ringing affirmation of all his best qualities. His publishers are claiming that this novel by the Booker-shortlisted author is his finest yet, and while that claim may have an element of hyperbole, there is no denying that this perfectly balanced book is among the writer's most accomplished work.

Max Morden has reached a crossroads in his life, and is trying hard to deal with several disturbing things. A recent loss is still taking its toll on him, and a trauma in his past is similarly proving hard to deal with. He decides that he will return to a town on the coast at which he spent a memorable holiday when a boy. His memory of that time devolves on the charismatic Grace family, particularly the seductive twins Myles and Chloe. In a very short time, Max found himself drawn into a strange relationship with them, and pursuant events left their mark on him for the rest of his life. But will he be able to exorcise those memories of the past?

The fashion in which John Banville draws the reader into this hypnotic and disturbing world is non pareil, and the very complex relationships between his brilliantly delineated cast of characters are orchestrated with a master's skill. As in such books as Shroud and The Book of Evidence, the author eschews the obvious at all times, and the narrative is delivered with subtlety and understatement. The genuine moments of drama, when they do occur, are commensurately more powerful. --Barry Forshaw.
Price: $7.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"It was the ultimate turnkey operation—down to the color-coordinated toothbrushes in the bathroom All you needed were your clothes and a six-pack"
—Frank Tauma, Montauk real estate broker

Who doesn't dream of owning a second home at the beach? Well, in the early 1960s, it was a snap even for the working class. For as little as $590 down and $73/month, you could walk into Macy’s and leave with a fully furnished house. All you needed to move in was a key and some groceries. Each house came complete with furniture, appliances, a 45-piece Melmac dinner service and plastic glasses, fifty pieces of stainless steel flatware, plus towels, napkins, placemats, beds, pillows and sheets, even toothbrushes. The homes also promised low maintenance with redwood siding and interior paneling that never needed painting and had lifetime guarantees. In Leisurama, author Paul Sahre uncovers the mystery of this legendary slice of architectural Americana and lovingly documents its forty year history with a treasure trove of text, photographs, historical documentation, and oral histories.

The houses came in two basic models. The smaller version, the Convertible, was basically a studio: 730 square feet of open plan with a sofa bed plus a fold-down Murphy bed. A folding mahogany screen allowed the owner to divide the "living room" from the "study." The larger model, the Expanded Convertible, was 950 square feet, supposedly capable of sleeping eight and included two or more bathrooms. Two hundred and fifty of these houses were built at Culloden Shores in Montauk, Long Island with several hundred more built in an area near Fort Lauderdale, FL. Most of the homes have since been converted to year-round occupancy, and with very few exceptions, all have been enlarged and redecorated, while the once barren shore is now forested. In a sweet paradox, these once very affordable homes that were looked down upon by more well to do neighbors are now desirable and expensive, even "collectable." Their rich legacy lives on in the affordable pages of Leisurama.

.
Price: $23.89 [Notify me when price goes down.]