In a House by the Sea

Message to stressed-out moms: let your mother watch the kids, and head to the beach. ""Away, beachwoman, away with you to the beach! You've had enough reality,"" says Gingras, author of five previous inspirational gift books, including The Uh-Oh Heart. Once beachside, she advises, read without interruption, drink a pina colada, eat out, veg out and let ""him"" do the work. This book-an amalgamation of prose, poetry and illustrations-is a reminder to readers that happiness and the beach go hand in hand. Short essays give loose pointers on living simply; poems explain ""what a beach house is for"" and offer things to remember when building a sand castle; lists chronicle the joys of summer at the beach, from the Good Humor man to the blast of the lifeguard whistle; and watercolors memorialize everything from flip flops to an open window letting the breeze in. Gingras's book is at times personal, as when the author relates sitting with a man on the beach, he reading and she watching as they exist ""so close and so separate,"" but its overarching message will be enjoyable to any woman in love with the beach.