Okay, we’re in the middle of summer, with its relentless weighty heat, white-washed days, fiery sunsets, rhythmic zing-songs of cicadas, and the call of the coast; the coast at the ocean, the lake or the river. Where terra firma gives way to caressing water, we seek our temporary escape. It’s a good place to bring a book. And when we can’t make it to the real coast, a good book can still take us there.

To get you through the rest of the summer, a handful of acclaimed novels where a coast plays a key role are offered; how many have you read?

The Awakening – Kate Chopin (1899)
Death in Venice – Thomas Mann (1912)
The Sea, The Sea – Iris Murdoch (1978)
The Sea – John Banville (2005)
On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan (2007)