Beach Books Heat Up the Holidays!

Surf Lit in the Lineup

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

There's nothing like a good book to heat up the holidays...especially when it's got a beach or surfing theme.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel have been making up our own list and checking it twice to find just the right books for you and the surfers you know.

First We Surf, Then We Eat, by Jim Kempton, is a compilation of his favorite surf spots and recipes – 90 in all – gleaned from chasing waves around the world. With easy-to-follow recipes and beautiful photos, the book walks you through the steps of making dishes ranging from Korean Short Ribs to Moroccan Grilled Lamb. A former editor at Surfer Magazine and the president of the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, Kempton's ode to fine dining – surfer style! – is a literary feast.

Fly Me, by Daniel Riley, blends surfing, drug dealing and skyjacking in this blast-from-the-past novel set in the mythical SoCal beach town of Sela del Mar. A current bestseller, Marie Claire magazine calls it "An excellent time capsule of '70s nostalgia, capturing that devil-may-care beach-culture vibe." Told by Vassar grad-turned airline stew Suzy Whitman, the high-octane tale moves from up in the sky to the top of a careening skateboard. 

Hound of the Sea, by Garrett McNamara and Karen Karbo, chronicles McNamara's amazing quest to ride the most formidable waves on earth and his world record-breaking ride, surfing a 78-foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal in 2011 – a record he smashed two years later at the same break. Providing an intimate look into what drives McNamara to such heights and feats of danger, this book will definitely get your adrenaline going! 

Painting Surfboards and Chasing Waves, by Drew Brophy and Maria Brophy, is a testament to what you can accomplish when you follow your passions. Filled with beautiful color paintings, the Brophys' labor of love shows that a pen in the right hands can create wonders. This is especially true when it's one of the Posca paint pens surf artist Drew uses to apply his electrifying images on stretched canvas and surfboards. Both insightful and inspiring, this book will brighten even the gloomiest winter day.

Pirata: A Novel, by Patrick Hasburgh, creator of the 21 Jump Street TV series, is a thriller about an ex-patriot American living and surfing in Mexico. Written in a similar style to Don Winslow's surfing mystery The Dawn Patrol, this new release with a surf bum narrator and a body washed up on the beach combines murder and mayhem in a volatile mix. It will keep you guessing and laughing at the same time...right up to the surprising conclusion.

San Onofre: Memories of a Legendary Surfing Beach, by David Matuszak, takes you back to the early days of surfing in California in the 1930s when San Diego's San Onofre Beach still had farm land and cattle ranches around the storied surf break. Including thousands of photos and interviews with 200 surfers, the book not only immerses you in the special place that San Onofre is, but in the surf culture itself and how it has evolved to present day.    

Surfer Chick, by Kristy Dempsey, will put a smile on the faces of the groms on your gift list – adults, too! With its whimsical acrylic and colored pencil illustrations and rhyming story, it paints a true surf heroine in Surfer Chick, who wants to conquer the waves and make her surfer dad proud. The rap style surf lingo and joyful exuberance make for a fun read and a rad ride. This spunky Surfer Chick is sure to win you over.     

The World Stormrider Surf Guide, by Bruce Sutherland and Antony Colas, explores each of the surf zones around the world, describing the local conditions, swells, and weather along with the food, culture and places to stay. Loaded with maps, photographs and statistics, it's the most comprehensive collection of surf-spot information in a single volume. Perfect for planning your next surfing adventure, for globe-trotting surfers it's as essential as a passport.

Whether you're in the mood for adventure, fiction or food, these eight beach books – one for each of Santa's reindeer – will heat up your holidays! 

SurfWriter Girls

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

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