Eight sea-inspired books to add to your reading list

Featuring a swashbuckling tale of love and betrayal, a sparkling debut and a quintessentially Cornish family saga...

If you caught last week’s Substack—or if you follow me on Instagram—you may have already heard the very exciting news: I’m hosting three reading retreats later this year.

First up, I’m heading to the windswept shores of Wales with

Tanya Lynch

for a sea-inspired weekend, diving into books shaped by the shore. I’ve curated a reading list that captures the pull of the tides, the mystery of the deep, and the untamed beauty of coastal life. Think Cornish classics, seafaring memoirs, and novels where the sea is as much a character as the people.

For this week’s Substack, I wanted to share some of those books—the ones that perfectly capture the wild, atmospheric essence of the ocean—packed with adventure, longing, and the sea as an unforgettable character in its own right.

1. Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje

I connected with Lidija—author of Slanting Towards the Sea—almost immediately after publishing this post. Huh, I thought, how funny that right after writing about my favourite books set by the sea, I’d come across an author whose very book had “sea” in the title. So I did what any self-respecting bookworm would do: I found her publicist’s details and asked if they might send me a copy to read. Before I’d even started, I had a feeling about the book—and decided, on a whim, that it would be the group read for my forthcoming reading retreat in Wales (I’m nothing if not impulsive). I read it en route back to Sydney from Fiji last night and finished it this morning. It’s absolutely mesmerising.

Set against the craggy seaside cliffs of Croatia, Slanting Towards the Sea follows Ivona, now in her late thirties and living with her father. It’s a story of lost love, second chances, secrets, loneliness and desire. The prose is achingly beautiful, the storytelling is utterly propulsive, the story hypnotic. I cried like a baby at the end. I didn’t want it to be over. I want you all to read it.

2. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

While I know I’m at risk of turning this Substack into a Rosamunde Pilcher stan account, The Shell Seekers was the first of her books I read—and it’s the quintessential shore-inspired read. It’s a sweeping family saga that follows three generations brought together during a time of crisis; all have been burned by love and must figure out how to move forward. The action moves between Cornwall and London, and Pilcher aimed to write a "big, fat novel." At 600 pages, she did just that, giving readers ample time to get to know her interesting, well-developed, and flawed-but-likable characters. It’s the kind of novel you’ll want to unfurl over a summer’s afternoon—full of warmth, complicated family dynamics, and the bittersweet love that Pilcher does best.

3. Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne Du Maurier

Is there a book that better captures the sea than Frenchman’s Creek? This swashbuckling tale of love, betrayal, and adventure is set against the stunning backdrop of Cornwall’s rugged coastline. It tells the story of a woman in a stagnant marriage who embarks on an illicit affair with a French pirate. The plot is fast-paced, thrilling, and full of romance, woven with passion and suspense—just what Du Maurier does best. I could read it again, and again, and again.