Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck, 1962

Steinbeck’s memoir of his 1960 road-trip with his French poodle, Charley, is conversational, funny, and poignant. The author, late in his career, transforms a GMC pickup into a mobile home for the cross-country journey, nicknaming it “Rocinante” after Don Quixote’s horse – a nod to the futility of his mission to learn “what Americans are like today.”

Over 10,000 miles, we meet sailors, migrant potato-pickers, and wealthy cattle-ranchers. When Charley refuses to pee on the giant redwoods in California, Steinbeck smiles but gets serious: “The vainest, most slap-happy and irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect.”  

The Leisure-Seeker, Michael Zadoorian, 2010

Van life featuring octogenarians navigating a jarring medical diagnosis. “The Leisure Seeker” is the brand of Ella and John Robina’s 1978 RV, and this warm-hearted, unflinching novel takes us along Route 66 for one bittersweet, last trip to Disneyland. This one’s freewheeling but urgent, and it’s thoroughly moving.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe, 1968

Wolfe’s account of tripping (in both senses) with Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters in a painted school bus is rich in casual firsthand details about acid-dropping, evading the FBI, and cameos from a Who’s Who of 60s counterculture, including beat poets and the Grateful Dead. I first read it when Allen Ginsberg spoke at my college graduation, and it’s just as vivid as I remember. Take this early description of the schoolbus: “glowing orange, green, magenta, lavender, chorine blue…as if somebody had given Hieronymus Bosch fifty buckets of Day-Glo paint and a 1939 International Harvester schoolbus and told him to go to it.”

The book doesn’t romanticize the journey – (spoiler alert) Kesey ends up in jail at the end. But it pays respectful tribute to the longing for a different life that courses through the wanderers’ blood as steadily as any mind-altering substance.

Peeps, Erin Gordon, 2021

RV Life Magazine says Gordon’s novel “universally speaks to the adventurer in all of us…that yearning drive to reflect, refocus, and even replace our stagnant life with something new.”

Protagonist Meg, a 51-year-old podcaster who interviews “peeps” for her podcast of the same name, uses her solo motorhome odyssey to reflect on her mother’s death, her divorce, and her empty nest.

A touching novel with sharply observed moments of humor.

Blue Highways, William Least Heat-Moon, 1982

An incandescent travelogue about a 1978 road trip. No interstates here. The author’s retrofitted Ford Ecoline van, nicknamed “Ghost Dancing,” traverses 13,000 miles along sleepy state routes highlighted blue on his frayed map. Heat-Moon searches for meaning in conversations with strangers, a tattered copy of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and solo nights sleeping inside his rig. This one deserves a resurgence.

Surfing & Health, Dorian Paskowitz, 1997

“Doc” Paskowitz’s memoir of living in a van with his wife Juliette and their nine children, surfing and adhering to his rules about diet, exercise, and nature, is iconic among surfers. A Stanford-trained physician, Paskowitz rejected conventional medicine for what he envisioned as a healthier lifestyle, taking his family along for the ride. “My spirit shrank until there was nothing left,” he says of pre-RV life. On the road and in the water, it bloomed again.

Paskowitz’s book inspired my own novel…

The California Dreamers, 2025

Imagines life for the only girl in a surf-van family and how she and her siblings wrestle with their past at their father’s island memorial service. Ronan, my heroine, flees the lifestyle at 17, but still longs for what her family once had, imperfect as it was. “We drive at night and park by beaches under tree cover, never too close to anyone else. I shut my eyes in San Diego and open them in San Francisco.”

Strangers on the beach mock their home, a rehabbed food truck, as a “roach coach,” but her mother tells her to pity them. “We glide,” she says. “They’re stuck, but we glide.”

Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21^st Century, Jessica Bruder, 2017

Bruder’s searing book was adapted into a movie starring Frances McDormand, and more than any book on this list delves honestly into the economics of vanning. Is it truly “vanning by choice” when financial crises force you into gig work? Bruder’s subjects wrestle with doubt, shame, family judgment, safety fears – especially the women – but there is a steady pulse of beauty here, especially in the connections within the RV community.

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer, 1996

Krakauer’s story of Christopher McCandless, a wealthy 24-year-old who sought a purer existence off the grid in Alaska.

McCandless’s abandoned bus is a symbol of hope and tragedy in this unsparing work, also adapted into an acclaimed film.

In Search of Captain Zero, Allan C. Weisbecker, 2002

Weisbecker roams Central America from Mexico to Costa Rica searching for an old surf buddy, stopping when the perfect swell calls. He looks within, too, especially at some of the dark ways he and the missing friend funded their lifestyle.

Think The Endless Summer meets Heart of Darkness. It’s unforgettable.

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

This mesmerizing coming of age won the Pulitzer, and with good reason. A compelling look at one man’s life spent chasing waves around the world, while also unlocking the meaning of life through thoughtful examination. If you want to understand the mind of a surfer and experience all manner of waves and old-school adventure, this is a must. 

California Golden by Melanie Benjamin

Combine vibrant 60s surf culture with sisterhood and family dynamics to weave a rich and heartbreaking tale. Definitely more character driven, it’s a poignant story of women breaking the mold and navigating life one surfboard at a time. Love the California vibes.

The Wave by Susan Casey

Susan is one of my favorite writers and I am a fan of all of her books and the way she completely immerses herself in the world of whatever she’s writing about. The Wave takes us on a fascinating journey, toggling between wave science & history, stories of rogue waves around the world, and a close up look at legendary waterman Laird Hamilton & friends on Maui, and their pursuit of giants. Even though this is non-fiction, it reads like a page turner.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This NYT Bestseller has over 1 million ratings on Goodreads. Definitely for those who prefer books with a lot of glitz and drama. In typical TJR fashion, she draws you in with her vividly drawn characters (the four famous Riva siblings, who all surf) and a twisty plot. It all happens in the span of 24 hours leading up to and including an end of summer bash (and also with flashbacks to the past) where everything spins out of control and the house goes up in flames. Surf is not the main focus in this novel, but we do get to paddle out and catch a few waves.

Swell by Liz Clark

I spent a little time with Patagonia ambassador Liz Clark on the north shore years ago, and was impressed by her unwavering passion for the ocean, and her surfing prowess. I’m a sucker for stories in which people take a different path and follow their dreams. “Overflowing with wild waves and constant challenges, at the whim of the weather, of relationships sweet and sour, of nature’s marvels and colorful cultures, Liz captures her voyage in gripping detail in this memoir, sharing tales of sailing in high seas, of solitude and surprises, of finding connection to the earth and commitment to living in harmony with it.”

The California Dreamers by Amy Mason Doan

This book releases in April of 2025, and I’m so excited to read it! I read Amy’s first novel, The Summer List, and adored it. She has such a way of writing characters to root for. If you like family secrets and van life, this one is for you. “It’s 1980s California, and everyone’s dreaming of the endless summer: sun-drenched beaches, infinite waves, and most of all, beautiful, beautiful freedom. For the Merrick siblings, this idyllic vision is their reality, as they travel up and down the coast with their parents in a van year-round, surfing and swimming their days away. But when a photographer secretly snaps a stunning photo of the family with their boards in the sand, and the image ripples across the country, the only life they’ve ever known is put at risk.” Sign me up.

The Maui Effect by Sara Ackerman  

I’ve always wanted to write a book set on Maui, and when I stumbled upon the idea of an opposites attract love story, I thought it would be the perfect backdrop. Dane is a big wave surfer always on the hunt for the ultimate ride. When he meets ‘Iwa he suddenly glimpses something even greater, but just out of reach, because ʻIwa has one unbreakable rule: never date a surfer. As a field biologist, her life is spent high in the Maui rainforest, while his is chasing giant swells around the globe. In between these pages you will find off-the-beaten-path adventure, swoony romance, and characters full of heart. They say opposites attract, but are they meant to last? Read to find out.

Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez 

While this romance novel focuses on the story of Emma and Justin (Toilet King, forever!) there is a second strong love story in the novel: the friendship between the leading lady and her BFF Maddy. These two women are more like sisters than friends, and the way they support each other through the ups and downs of love and life is so beautiful, it may have made us shed a tear or two!

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley 

A twenty-something woman who’s down on her luck and an octagenarian whose nudgy daughter insists she gets live-in help after a fall—you wouldn’t think these two would have much in common. But when the two take off on a cross-country road trip running from the law, a beautiful, unlikely friendship is born. We loved this multi-generational story of how these two women help each other face their pasts and figure out their futures. 

Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey

This story follows three best friends who grew up attending the same summer camp. When they learn that their beloved Camp Holly might have to close, they band together to save it–and come together as friends, too. We love how this story captures the complexity of decades-long friendships and how important they are. And obviously, we’re here for the summer camp vibes! 

The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan 

While we love second-chance love stories, there’s a special place in our heart for stories about second-chance friendships—including this one! BFFs Laura and Casey had a falling out 17 years ago, and when life brings them back together, they get pulled into a nostalgic scavenger hunt like the ones they did every summer growing up. As the game brings the two back together, the clues unravel a shocking secret that threatens to tear them apart again… 

One Last Summer by Kate Spencer

Another summer camp novel, this one follows thirtysomething Clara, who is struggling with career burnout, as she gathers with her friends for what might be the very last camp reunion. Clara has immediate sparks with her old camp nemesis/crush, Mack, but one of the most beautiful relationships in the story is between Clara and her very pregnant friend Sam. It’s a beautiful reminder that our strongest childhood friendships can grow with us during the ups and downs of adulthood.