When it comes to packing for summer vacation, a can’t-put-down book is almost as important as a cute new swimsuit. We enjoy few things more than a relaxing day at the beach with a captivating read in one hand and a refreshing beverage in the other. With the team spreading out in the next few weeks on various summer vacations, we decided to share a list of 5 highly recommended books that we plan to pack (or download).

1. Among the Lemon Trees: We can’t help but love a novel set in the Mediterranean, especially if we’re reading it on the beach. Faced with a failing marriage, Anna decides to spend a summer with her father on the Aegean island where he was born. Anna discovers letters that had been hidden for 60 years that reveal family secrets spanning time from Greece at the beginning of the 20th century through Naples at the end of World War II.

2. The Bettencourt Affair: The World’s Richest Woman and the Scandal That Rocked Paris: If you’re looking for a true, captivating story, don’t miss this drama-packed, relationship webbed account of Liliane Bettencourt, heiress to the billion dollar L’Oréal fortune. She was the world’s richest woman until, at ninety-four, she became entangled with what is now called the Bettencourt Affair, a scandal that took the people of France captive.

3. 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works-A True Story: Meditation is a hot topic, and we’re super interested in learning more about its benefits. And what better time to try out meditation than on a relaxing, agenda-free vacation? In this true story, the author Dan Harris reflects on how meditation changed his life. In case you’re not familiar, Harris had a panic attack on national television before he decided to make significant life changes. In this book he gives a personal account of his self-help journey that led him to meditation.

4. The Light We Lost: This is a star-crossed love story between Lucy and Gabe, two college classmates who keep in touch across continents throughout the years. This sounds like a book we could easily get lost in while listening to the waves.

5. How to Be Married: What I Learned from Real Women on Five Continents About Surviving My First (Really Hard) Year of Marriage: Travel writer Jo Piazza journeys to twenty countries to find out what modern marriage means. Reflecting on her own first year of marriage, Jo seeks advice from tribeswomen, French ladies, Orthodox Jewish moms, and many others across the globe. Our team ranges from single  to newly wed to married for eight years, but we are all excited to learn from these women!

Have any other must-read recommendations? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!