Here are 100 books that Dr. Beach's Survival Guide fans have personally recommended if you like Dr. Beach's Survival Guide. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Aquatic Accidents

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Author Of Coastal Scenery: Evaluation and Management

From my list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a coastal geologist with expertise in environmental issues related to coastal geomorphology, marine pollution, and coastal management. With a Ph.D. in Sea Sciences from the Universidad de Cádiz, I have contributed to the scientific community through my research, publication of over 100 scientific articles, and serving as the Editor of two international scientific journals—Ocean & Coastal Management and the Marine Pollution Bulletin. My research focuses on understanding and managing coastal hazards, marine pollution, and the impacts of human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems. Of particular importance in terms of beach safety was my recent co-authorship of the article Integrated Strategies for the Management and Mitigation of Beach Accidents.

Nelson's book list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Why Nelson loves this book

This book covers the full range of accidents that could occur and how to recognize and prevent them from ruining a family vacation. The greatest risk at surf beaches is rip currents, causing 100 drownings annually, with more than 60,000 rescues by lifeguards in the United States. 

At some beaches where powerful waves break right at the shore, shorebreaks can pick you up and crash you headfirst into shallow water, resulting in concussions, serious neck and spinal injuries. Snorkeling seems to be as easy as putting on a mask, but it is the largest cause of drowning in Hawaii, so one should practice in a shallow swimming pool before venturing into the ocean. Scuba diving and surfing are exhilarating sports, but they come with a range of serious dangers that must be understood which requires professional training.

This book provides color illustrations and photographs to help you better understand these…

By Stephen B. Leatherman , Stephen P. Leatherman , Arthur H. Mittelstaedt

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Aquatic Accidents as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Aquatic Accidents is a uniquely comprehensive book analyzing the full range of water-based accidents in both the natural environment (e.g., oceans, lakes and rivers) and built facilities (e.g., swimming pools, waterparks, and spas). People are naturally drawn to the water, from back-yard swimming pools to the number one tourist destination, the beach. Accidents are far too common, and most are preventable with foresight provided by this book.

The various water activities discussed in Aquatic Accidents cause needless injuries and even death. This book gives you the tools to identify these hazards and initiate actions to save lives. Aquatic Accidents is…


If you love Dr. Beach's Survival Guide...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Dr. Rip's Essential Beach Book: Everything You Need to Know About Surf, Sand, and Safety

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Author Of Coastal Scenery: Evaluation and Management

From my list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a coastal geologist with expertise in environmental issues related to coastal geomorphology, marine pollution, and coastal management. With a Ph.D. in Sea Sciences from the Universidad de Cádiz, I have contributed to the scientific community through my research, publication of over 100 scientific articles, and serving as the Editor of two international scientific journals—Ocean & Coastal Management and the Marine Pollution Bulletin. My research focuses on understanding and managing coastal hazards, marine pollution, and the impacts of human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems. Of particular importance in terms of beach safety was my recent co-authorship of the article Integrated Strategies for the Management and Mitigation of Beach Accidents.

Nelson's book list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Why Nelson loves this book

This book provides an appealing overview of waves and currents with a folksy tone and scientific perspective. This book provides a quick and easy-to-understand guide to the top five physical beach hazards: rip currents, dumping waves (shorebreaks), shallow water diving, surging waves and big, storm-generated waves.

Rob has dedicated his life to making Australian beaches safer, including giving talks on the “Science of the Surf” to thousands of schoolchildren. Beaches are fun but dangerous places under certain conditions, and this book is for everyone who loves the surf.    

By Rob Brander ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dr. Rip's Essential Beach Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How do waves break, and what makes good surf? What are dangerous rip currents, and how do you spot one? What should you do if you get caught in one?

Australia's best-known surf scientist, Rob "Dr. Rip" Brander, takes readers on a fascinating and entertaining journey to uncover how beaches form and behave, the science of waves and currents, and how beaches respond to storms and climate change. He explains where the sand we lay our towels on came from, how the tides that wash up new treasures each day work, why no two beaches are exactly the same, and…


Book cover of The Ominous Ocean: Rogue Waves, Rip Currents and Other Dangers Along the Shoreline and in the Sea

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Author Of Coastal Scenery: Evaluation and Management

From my list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a coastal geologist with expertise in environmental issues related to coastal geomorphology, marine pollution, and coastal management. With a Ph.D. in Sea Sciences from the Universidad de Cádiz, I have contributed to the scientific community through my research, publication of over 100 scientific articles, and serving as the Editor of two international scientific journals—Ocean & Coastal Management and the Marine Pollution Bulletin. My research focuses on understanding and managing coastal hazards, marine pollution, and the impacts of human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems. Of particular importance in terms of beach safety was my recent co-authorship of the article Integrated Strategies for the Management and Mitigation of Beach Accidents.

Nelson's book list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Why Nelson loves this book

This book describes the myriad of hazards possibly impacting blue-water sailors and casual beachcombers. Using real-life examples, Gary explains the natural processes, events, and creatures, why and where they may occur, and what should or shouldn’t concern us to provide a clearer understanding of how oceans behave. 

My greatest fear is being caught in a landfalling tsunami; I stayed at a little village near sea level on one of the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand that was destroyed by the Great Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004—timing is everything in life, or hopefully, I would have followed the elephants who headed to high ground before these huge waves came ashore.

Gary’s book covers this great calamity but also explains the more common occurrences and hazards of rip currents, rogue waves, and hurricanes.   

By Gary Griggs ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ominous Ocean as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The oceans cover 71% of the planet, and pose a myriad of hazards to everyone from blue-water sailors to the casual beachcomber. From rip tides to rogue waves, the possibilities for some water-borne calamity seem endless, but in most cases a deadly outcome can be avoided or at least mitigated by having a better understanding of the risks involved. This book presents cautionary tales of the most dangerous aspects of oceans encounters, including hazardous sea life such as sharks and rays, the power of the tides, and high seas that can engulf an entire fleet of naval vessels. In each…


If you love Stephen P. Leatherman...

Book cover of Glimmer of the Other

Glimmer of the Other by Heather G. Harris,

Delve into this internationally best-selling series, now complete! A fast paced laugh-out-loud mix of Urban Fantasy and Mystery.

I can tell when you’re lying. Every. Single. Time. I’m Jinx, a PI hired to find a missing university student, I hope to find her propped up at a bar–yet my gut…

Book cover of Waves and Beaches: The Powerful Dynamics of Sea and Coast

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Author Of Coastal Scenery: Evaluation and Management

From my list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a coastal geologist with expertise in environmental issues related to coastal geomorphology, marine pollution, and coastal management. With a Ph.D. in Sea Sciences from the Universidad de Cádiz, I have contributed to the scientific community through my research, publication of over 100 scientific articles, and serving as the Editor of two international scientific journals—Ocean & Coastal Management and the Marine Pollution Bulletin. My research focuses on understanding and managing coastal hazards, marine pollution, and the impacts of human activities on coastal and marine ecosystems. Of particular importance in terms of beach safety was my recent co-authorship of the article Integrated Strategies for the Management and Mitigation of Beach Accidents.

Nelson's book list on keeping your family safe on a beach vacation

Nelson Rangel-Buitrago Why Nelson loves this book

This book is an update of Bascom’s bestselling classic that was first published in 1963 and updated in 1979. I had the pleasure of learning about Bill Bascom by reading the papers presented at a symposium in his honor at the University of California, Berkeley, just a few years before his untimely death. 

Bascom was one of few people to use a DUKW boat to surf the big breakers at the Columbia River offshore shoals where the US Coast Guard cutters are intentionally rolled over in 20-30-foot breaking waves as a training exercise for new recruits (and to weed out those of faint of heart). His buddy Kim McCoy, who is an oceanographer, sailor, and freediver, has brought this book back to life with updates regarding climatic impacts on coasts and beaches.  

While surfers and sailors will immerse themselves in this book, it vividly describes the struggle for supremacy between…

By Kim McCoy , Willard Bascom ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Waves and Beaches as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Bestselling Classic Updated for Surfers, Sailors, Oceanographers, Climate Activists, and Those Who Love the Sea

First published in 1963 and updated in 1979, this classic was an essential handbook for anyone who studies, surfs, protects, or is fascinated by the ocean. The original author, Willard Bascom, was a master of the subject and included a wealth of information, based on theory and statistics, but also anecdotal observation and personal experience. It brought to the general public understanding of the awesome and complex power of the waves.

This revision from Kim McCoy adds recent facts and anecdotes to update the…


Book cover of Sand Rush

Michael R. Adamson Author Of Oil and Urbanization on the Pacific Coast

From my list on why wildfires will continue to burn California.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been passionate about the underlying drivers of environmentally destructive human behavior since I was invited to participate in a study of the impacts of oil development on coastal California when I was in graduate school. At a basic level, I have always been interested in economic development, organizational behavior, and public policy. This project gave me the opportunity to explore the intersection of those interests and expand them into the impacts of humans generally on natural and human-made environments. Southern California oil development and its impacts were not my dissertation topic, but it is one that literally hits close to home, and I have been pursuing it for almost three decades. 

Michael's book list on why wildfires will continue to burn California

Michael R. Adamson Why Michael loves this book

I love this book because, on almost every page, I learned something new about the Southern California beaches I enjoy so much—everything from why the beaches physically exist to why the public has access to them. This book digs deep to explore how minority and marginalized populations struggled for beach access during the twentieth century. In doing so, it tells us a lot about how beach culture as we know it emerged in Southern California.

I also appreciate its ending on a cautionary note, explaining how sea levels rising because of unrelenting fossil-fuel combustion threaten to literally wipe out the beaches that millions of us enjoy each year.

By Elsa Devienne ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sand Rush as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first history of the formidable campaign that transformed Los Angeles into one of the world's greatest coastal metropolises, revealing how the city's man-made shores became the site for the reinvention of seaside leisure and the triumph of modern bodies.

The Los Angeles shoreline is one of the most iconic natural landscapes in the United States, if not the world. The vast shores of Santa Monica, Venice, and Malibu are familiar sights to film and television audiences, conveying images of pristine sand, carefree fun, and glamorous physiques. Yet, in the early twentieth century Angelenos routinely lamented the city's crowded, polluted,…


Book cover of A Miscarriage of Justice: Women's Reproductive Lives and the Law in Early Twentieth-Century Brazil

Nora Jaffary Author Of Reproduction and Its Discontents in Mexico: Childbirth and Contraception from 1750 to 1905

From my list on unearthing abortion’s hidden history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began gathering stories about pregnancy and its avoidance in Mexican archives twenty-five years ago when I was working on my dissertation on religious history. This topic fascinated me because it was central to the preoccupations of so many women I knew, and it seemed to present a link to past generations. But as I researched, I also realized that radical differences existed between the experiences and attitudes of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Mexican women and the concerns, practices, and understandings of my own period that I had assumed were timeless and unchanging. For me, this was a liberating discovery. 

Nora's book list on unearthing abortion’s hidden history

Nora Jaffary Why Nora loves this book

Cassia Ross captivatingly conveys the stories of the individual women and girls, most of them financially desperate, whom the modern Brazilian state’s policing of women’s reproduction victimized.

Her book studies women’s reproductive health in Rio de Janeiro in the aftermath of the abolition of slavery (1888) and the dissolution of the country’s monarchy (1889). She argues that in this period, women’s reproductive capabilities became crucial to the expanding Brazilian state while the latter increasingly criminalized fertility control. 

By Cassia Roth ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Miscarriage of Justice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Miscarriage of Justice examines women's reproductive health in relation to legal and medical policy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After the abolition of slavery in 1888 and the onset of republicanism in 1889, women's reproductive capabilities-their ability to conceive and raise future citizens and laborers-became critical to the expansion of the new Brazilian state. Analyzing court cases, law, medical writings, and health data, Cassia Roth argues that the state's approach to women's health in the early twentieth century focused on criminalizing fertility control without improving services or outcomes for women. Ultimately, the increasingly interventionist state fostered a culture of…


If you love Dr. Beach's Survival Guide...

Book cover of Tsunami

Tsunami by LeeAnn Pickrell,

On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…

Book cover of Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Blood Type Diet Solution

Pip Waller Author Of Deeply Holistic: A Guide to Intuitive Self-Care--Know Your Body, Live Consciously, and Nurture Your Spirit

From my list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a naturopathic therapist, teacher, and writer working mainly with plant medicine since 1989. For decades, I’ve been teaching many aspects of natural healing and have written 5 books, published in 6 languages, on various aspects of my work. One of my favourite books is DEEPLY HOLISTIC, a Guide to Intuitive Self-Care, a synthesis of much of the advice I’ve given clients over my 30 years of practice.

Pip's book list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why

Pip Waller Why Pip loves this book

This book is not the one-size-fits-all approach of many food books. Naturopath Dr Peter J. D’Adamo has carried on the work of his father to research the effect of various types of lectins, a type of protein found in our body, and found in many foods. One way our unique biology is expressed is in our blood type – O, A, B, or AB. Different types of lectins cause agglutination (the clumping of particles) in different blood types. ‘If you eat a food that contains lectins incompatible with your blood type, those lectins cling or bind themselves to membranes in the digestive tract causing damage such as inflammation.’

By Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo , Catherine Whitney ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eat Right 4 Your Type as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eat Right 4 Your Type harnesses the power of our own amazing bio-chemistry to help you to cast aside the fad diets for good!

Dr Peter D'Adamo and Catherine Whitney are back with a fully updated and revised edition of their sensational book to demonstrate how working with your blood type plays a key role in losing weight, avoiding disease and promoting fitness and longevity.

After selling over a 7 million copies worldwide, this revised edition of the global phenomenon blood-type diet is packed with even more material - including a 10-Day Jump-Start Plan - to help you tailor your…


Book cover of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed

Jennifer Garvey Berger Author Of Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity

From my list on helping you love understand human beings.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love humans. My clients and colleagues tell me that my profound love for humans is my superpower—that I make people feel safe and seen. I also understand that loving humans isn’t effortless. I wasn’t always in the loving-humans camp. While I was doing a doctorate at Harvard, I studied with the marvelous Robert Kegan, whose theory and methodology helped me see the fullness of the diverse people I got to interview. Ever since, I have been totally enthralled by what makes us unique—and also connected. If you are a human or have to deal with humans, your life will be much improved if you love them more!

Jennifer's book list on helping you love understand human beings

Jennifer Garvey Berger Why Jennifer loves this book

I love a good memoir, and this one was a perfect example of the form. Thoughtful, funny, incredibly well-written, and structured, I cared deeply about Lori and her patients. As she weaves together stories from her training as a therapist, her patients, and her work with her own therapist, we see how incredibly damaging life and love are for us—and how those scars themselves make us more beautiful, more worthy of love, more capable of opening our hearts to others.

This does not make the human experience look easy or painless, but it does help me remember what the work is for and how beautiful the pathway can be when we have good company on the way. This book was excellent company for me.

By Lori Gottlieb ,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Maybe You Should Talk to Someone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A TIME magazine Must-Read Book of the Year

Ever wonder what your therapist is thinking? Now you can find out, as therapist and New York Times bestselling author Lori Gottlieb takes us behind the scenes of her practice - where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she).

When a personal crisis causes her world to come crashing down, Lori Gottlieb - an experienced therapist with a thriving practice in Los Angeles - is suddenly adrift. Enter Wendell, himself a veteran therapist with an unconventional style, whose sessions with Gottlieb will prove transformative for her.


Book cover of The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office

Joseph P. Newhouse Author Of Pricing the Priceless: A Health Care Conundrum

From my list on the economics and history of American health insurance.

Why am I passionate about this?

My mother wanted me to be a physician, but as a child I was very squeamish about human biology and knew that wasn't for me. In college I was exposed to economics and found it, and the policy debates about national health insurance, fascinating. So, maybe with my mother’s wishes in the back of my mind, I became a health economist. I was privileged to direct a large randomized trial called the RAND Health Insurance Experiment, which varied the cost of medical care to families. This project lasted more than a decade and got me so deep into the economics of health and medical care that I became a professor of health policy and management.


Joseph's book list on the economics and history of American health insurance

Joseph P. Newhouse Why Joseph loves this book

In individual chapters, this book describes every American President’s approach to health policy from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George W. Bush (it omits Gerald Ford). 

It describes their personal and familial interactions with health and medical care as well as their foibles and habits. It is a fascinating read, especially for those of an age who personally lived through some of these Presidents.

By David Blumenthal , James Morone ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Heart of Power as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Even the most powerful men in the world are human - they get sick, take dubious drugs, drink too much, contemplate suicide, fret about ailing parents, and bury people they love. Young Richard Nixon watched two brothers die of tuberculosis, even while doctors monitored a suspicious shadow on his own lungs. John Kennedy received last rites four times as an adult, and Lyndon Johnson suffered a 'belly buster' of a heart attack. David Blumenthal and James A. Morone explore how modern presidents have wrestled with their own mortality - and how they have taken this most human experience to heart…


If you love Stephen P. Leatherman...

Book cover of In Bad Faith

In Bad Faith by Geoffrey Carter,

Nelson West, a former Chicago homicide detective, is hired by wealthy heir Lionel Bing to discreetly help “fix” scandals and legal problems for his father’s wealthy friends.

Bing, a brilliant but troubled investigator, suffers from PTSD symptoms as a result of being kidnapped and witnessing the murder of his mother…

Book cover of It's Always Been Ours: Rewriting the Story of Black Women's Bodies

Jenna Hollenstein Author Of Intuitive Eating for Life: How Mindfulness Can Deepen and Sustain Your Intuitive Eating Practice

From my list on reality-check your relationship with food and body.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m obsessed with the connections between Buddhist philosophy, meditation, Intuitive Eating, eating disorder and addiction recovery, body liberation, and intersectional social justice work. These connections are everywhere! It may not seem like it, but how we relate to food and our bodies reflects how we feel about all bodies. How we speak to ourselves reflects how we feel about difference, difficulty, and interdependence. Challenging our entrenched beliefs about health, eating, food, and body helps us to ultimately recognize the inherent worthiness of all bodies. This is how we both come to know ourselves authentically and how we change the world for the better. 

Jenna's book list on reality-check your relationship with food and body

Jenna Hollenstein Why Jenna loves this book

Jessica Wilson, an eating disorder dietitian and storyteller, makes the undeniable case for how the diet culture has preyed on and harmed Black women in particular.

I appreciate her excavation of diet culture, revealing how it is rooted in white supremacy and therefore needs to be systematically dismantled through intentional expressions of body love, joyful expression of Black culture, and embracing your food lineage. 

By Jessica Wilson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It's Always Been Ours as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WE WILL REWRITE THE NARARTIVE OF BLACKNESS THAT CENTERS AND CELEBRATES OUR JOY.

In It’s Always Been Ours eating disorder specialist and storyteller Jessica Wilson challenges us to rethink what having a "good" body means in contemporary society. By centering the bodies of Black women in her cultural discussions of body image, food, health, and wellness, Wilson argues that we can interrogate white supremacy’s hold on us and reimagine the ways we think about, discuss, and tend to our bodies.

A narrative that spans the year of racial reckoning (that wasn't), It’s Always Been Ours is an incisive blend of…


Book cover of Aquatic Accidents
Book cover of Dr. Rip's Essential Beach Book: Everything You Need to Know About Surf, Sand, and Safety
Book cover of The Ominous Ocean: Rogue Waves, Rip Currents and Other Dangers Along the Shoreline and in the Sea

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