Hey Reader,

My mom and I have spent a glorious week at Orange Beach, Alabama.

Before we came down, I was deep into a WWII spy novel. It was smart, tense, and featured female secretary-spies. Immersive. BFF-recommended. I could have finished by now if I hadn’t hit pause.

Once we got to the land of sugar sand for a week, I wanted anything but depth, despair, or deep thoughts.

My stretch goals for the week:

• A shrimp po’boy the size of three copies of Robert Caro’s The Power Broker placed end-to-end (LuLu’s Gulf Shores).​
• Grilled crab cakes (Doc’s Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar).
• A week of watching hundreds of dolphins flipping just offshore at feeding time.

When I finally opened my Kindle? I didn’t want to think. So I hit pause on a great book—and read a pair of books that turned out to be truly awful.

Two books. One star. Zero regrets.

The first book was by Dave Barry, a popular columnist trying fiction for the first time. Note that I’m not providing an affiliate link to this book because I do not recommend it.

The first couple of chapters felt like a laugh track got jammed on repeat. Then it got weird. And by weird, I mean deeply uncomfortable in the objectification-of-women way. I was never immersed. I was always watching the attempt. But I kept going—just to see if I predicted the ending. Yep. I nailed it.

The second book was stilted and contrived. By chapter three, I knew who was getting together and why. Girl returns home. Family drama. Hometown romance. Misunderstanding. Reconciliation. Poolside kiss. I finished it in full Hallmark disbelief. This one was so bad it’s not worth mentioning the title. But if you really want to know, hit me up. I’ll email you back.

One star for both books. I’m being generous because these are authors who have dared to write a novel. Gotta give ‘em props for that.

The experience? Five.

The plot that really matters

I’m not at the beach for emotional growth. I’ve wanted to read something silly with my feet in the sand and a front-row view of dolphins.

That’s the immersion experience I was after. To make faces of disapproval. To roast the plot twists. To keep reading—not because it was good, but because it matched the moment. And to just hang out with my mom when she surfaces from her Kindle.

While reading these sub-par books, I always knew I could step out on to the balcony and fully experience the tide rolling in. I got to get lost in the waves as they turned to foam. Felt the Alabama breeze on my face.

That’s vibe reading.

It felt good to give myself the freedom to pick something ridiculous, finish it anyway, and call it a win. Knowing I got these titles at no charge makes this mindset much easier. The first was an Amazon First Reads selection. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you have access to a free, editor-selected Kindle book each month.

Non-Prime members can also participate, but they will have to pay a small fee, typically $1.99 per book.

What does your beach vibes reading look like? Hit reply and let me know. I'll respond.

— Tracy

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P.S. If you’re looking to fill your Kindle with chaos, I keep a close watch on Kindle Unlimited offerings. Here’s info on how Kindle Unlimited works. 👉 https://amzn.to/4bx6waQ​

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