What Tourists at the Punta Cana All-Inclusive Are Reading
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — I have been staying at an all inclusive resort in Punta Cana for a few days between IST and the school year starting back up spending quality time with my fiancé Molly and her family, aprovechando de mocha frappuchinos, indian food, and a seemingly endless supply of Pringles cans and peanut M&Ms. I also took some time to check out the titles that some well-to-do norteamericanos have been enjoying while on the beach or relaxing poolside, so that I might recommend them to you.
Below you will find my review of each book, solely based on the cover, that I encountered while in Punta Cana. I haven’t actually read any of them. There is traditional wisdom that warns against casting this type of judgement only on the look of a book, but as a literacy promoter I know better, and I’m here to tell you that you absolutely can and should judge these books by their covers.
Note from the editor: normally on articles like this you would expect that the writer would be using Amazon affiliate links. We have done no such thing and if you buy any of these books, Your Daily Vívere sees nothing. Please don’t buy books from Amazon. Ya tú sabes. Peace Corps send us money pls.
Renegades: Born in the USA — Barak Obama & Bruce Springsteen
So this brings us to the first item on our list to review. I can say based on the cover that this book is about the unlikely friendship between one of Spotify’s heavyweight class brand ambassadors, and also a former musician. I couldn’t really guess what the two talk about in their book, but it seems like the title is a joke about BO’s birth credentials for those who can remember a time when the national conversation was concerned with where exactly America’s favorite Predator Drone user was born. This is kind of a funny title, but it actually just forced me to remember that I know what the word ‘Birtherism’ means and now I want to wander with a glassy expression around the buffet again.
“in this stunningly produced expansion of their groundbreaking Higher Ground podcast… President Barack Obama and legendary musician Bruce Springsteen tell a bigger, truer story about America throughout their careers, and explore how our fractured country might begin to find its way back toward unity and global leadership.” — Not sure who said this, but I copied it from the Amazon Store page
Regretting You — Colleen Hoover
This one is probably a romance, or maybe an anti-romance. I feel for the middle aged woman sporting leopard printed sunglasses reading this title, who was sitting next to her very red faced husband while he downed “Blue Hawaiians”. This is a quote from the book that more than 7,000 Amazon Kindle users have highlighted.
“I’ve believed in you since the moment I met you. I believe in myself now that I’ve finally left you.” — Colleen Hoover, Regretting You
Ms. Hoover returns again to the format of romance story crossed with family drama (but not crossed too closely) promoted by Tik Tok algorithms, and it seems her firm grasp on the eyes and fingertips of the masses is unrelenting. Pick up this title next time you are headed to the beach, I promise You wont be Regretting this one.
When Life Gives you Lululemons — Lauren Weisberger
I actually didn’t spot this cover at first, but it was Molly who picked it out from the lines of reclining beach chairs. So I’m imagining this book is about a woman business owner who maybe got a brand deal with the coveted and publicly traded leggings brand, or maybe even was written by the person or people who started the company themselves. After just having done a preliminary Google search, it looks like this is actually about the upper-crust suburban lives of women. There is apparently a part where the protaganist helps her friend and former Victoria Secret model rehabilitate her public image after a “junked up” DUI charge.
“It feels like Weisberger wrote her novel yesterday, peppering the story with real-life celebrity misconduct.” — Seira Wilson, Amazon Book Review
For some reason this just reminded me of the 2022 case where Rebecca Grossman, an L.A.-area socialite, flattened two young boys with her Mercedes-Benz SUV while driving at 73MPH. Data recovered from the vehicle shows that she “floored it” just before entering the crosswalk. At the time she was closely following an SUV driven by her friend, former Dodgers player Scott Erickson who had also been drinking (she blew 0.08%, right on the borderline of the legal limit in CA) before racing each other through the streets of Westlake Village. Grossman failed to return to the scene after the crash. Her attorneys are arguing that the city is to blame for creating a dangerous crosswalk, however they have missed deadlines to submit evidence and the case has gone to the California Supreme Court. I hope you will be able to enjoy this selection next time you find yourself on vaycay. Pick it up at any airport bookstore.
Where the Crawdads Sing— Delia Owens
So, I’ll be honest with you. I probably would have made fun of this book just like the others. But two different people, both whom I think highly of, told me this was a phenomenal book that brought them to tears and reignited their interest in reading for leisure. There’s not really much else I can say. Check this one out. Let me know if you figure out where they sing, or what even is a crawdad. Definitely not haiba…
And so now, you have had a taste of just a few of the many titles selected by beach goers in Punta Cana. Overall I had a restful time and enjoyed conversations late into the night with Molly’s family. My only complaint was even though Brugal and Presidente were in abundance, everyone in our party preferred Titos, and also it was just about impossible to find tostones in this place. They tried to charge me $55 USD for a haircut but I declined and got to impress (or maybe annoy) visiting family members with my LPI assessed level 7.5 Spanish skills. I did get into an argument with a waiter if mofongo was Dominican or Puerto Rican, on this issue I stand firmly on the side of the Dominican people.
What did you think of this book review? Are you feeling inspired to pick something up to read? Have you read something recently, and would like to share about it in Your Daily Vívere? Contact us!
