Beach Reads

By Cindy Bilbao

Stumbling into Paradise

By Steve Osman

Closing in on age 40 causes some people to question where they’re at in life. Steve and Mary Lou wanted to shake things up. This is their true story of chasing after a dream adventure.

Steve, an artist at heart, has never been great working within corporate life, so his resumé isn’t overly impressive, and Mary Lou wants to finally obtain her teaching degree after raising their two children.

One day, a phone call comes that changes the dead-end direction of their lives. A new eco-friendly beach lodge is being built in Costa Rica, and Steve’s help is needed. He knows this is the perfect opportunity for his family, so they enthusiastically make plans for this new adventure!

The resort is situated far off the beaten path, requiring a four-hour drive over severely potholed roads and bridges — but that is just the start of the challenges that lay ahead of them. The rest of the story will keep you glued to the pages, while you worry about what Steve and his wife go through to live their dream in the beauty of the tropics. Parts of the story sound like pure paradise, and parts of the story will have you thinking, “There’s no way I would do that.”

A Beach Less Traveled

By John Berglund

After graduating from law school and working for years in the corporate rat race in frozen St. Paul, Minnesota, John Berglund’s real passion for chemistry—and the chemistry degree he abandoned when he chose to go to law school—won’t stop haunting him. His initial decision to choose money over passion has left him feeling unfulfilled. So he uses his working years to plan and save and dream.

Eventually, the dream becomes a reality when he and his wife decide the time is right to leave their comfortable, established life and careers to let John follow his dreams. This is the fascinating and enviable story of how a couple took some chances and risks to manifest their dreams, and how they set up a chic perfumery shop on the island of St. Martin in the Caribbean.

Read more beach book recommendations from Cindy Bilbao.

Quick note: Please support your local bookstore, beach shop, and authors by purchasing these books in their stores. We have provided links to purchase these books online, some of which are on Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases made when you purchase using our links. This doesn't change your prices. Please feel free to purchase items wherever it works best for you. Thanks!