Life is better at the beach, especially when you have a good book! North Carolina's Brunswick Islands is one of the best places to stick your toes in the sand and jump into a classic beach read. With six beautiful beaches and an array of charming coastal communities filled with rich history, literature and romance, it is easy to see why the Brunswick Islands has inspired many authors and film makers alike.

Check out some of the best beach books that were either set in the Brunswick Islands or filmed scenes here for the movie adaptation of the novel:

Safe Haven An iconic love story by Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven, was set and filmed in the town of Southport. This dramatic thriller is about a young woman, Katie, who moves to a quaint southern town and begins a relationship with Alex, a widowed store owner. Just as their relationship starts to develop, dark secrets from Katie's past begin to intrude on her new life.

Explore the charming southern town of Southport to see the various filming locations in Safe Haven like West Moore and Bay Streets where the dramatic NC 4th of July Festival was recreated for the movie, Ports of Call where Katie and Alex shared their first romantic dinner or grab a cocktail at Old American Fish Co., known in Safe Haven as Ivan's, where Katie worked as a waitress. And for a more in depth look at some filming memorabilia, visit Fort Johnston - Southport Museum and Visitors Center.

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The Old Man and the Boy The Old Man and the Boy, written by Robert Ruark, is a novel created out of a series of columns Ruark wrote for Field and Stream. Based on his own childhood memories of visiting his grandparents’ house in Southport, the book is about a young boy named Bobby who learns the value of hunting, fishing and becoming a gentleman from his grandfather, the Old Man. A perfect place to pick up this novel when visiting Southport, is the Robert Ruark Inn, a Victorian style B&B once owned by Ruark's grandparents.

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Every Breath Nicholas Sparks' latest romance novel, Every Breath is about Hope Anderson, an ER trauma nurse, taking a break from her worries at her family's vacation cottage in Sunset Beach, and Tru Walls, a safari guide from Zimbabwe, on a quest to discover his past. The novel is centered around the Kindred Spirit Mailbox, a truly unique landmark awaiting wanderers from far and wide. This one-of-a-kind mailbox sits about 1.5 miles from the nearest public access point on Bird Island, full of notebooks and pens just waiting for explorers to come divulge their secrets and leave messages of hope and inspiration for the next adventurer.

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I Know What You Did Last Summer I Know What You Did Last Summer the film, loosely based on the novel of the same name, is a spooky tale about four friends that run over a fisherman and dump his body in the water. A year later, they receive a frightening letter telling them that their crime was seen. Throughout the tale, the suspense increases as the killer stalks members of the group. Visitors to Southport will recognize iconic landmarks like the Amuzu Theatre and the Southport Riverwalk that were featured in the film adaptation.

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Under the Dome Under the Dome, filmed in Southport, is a book by Stephen King that was adapted as a TV series. The novel tells the story of the residents of a fictional small town that are cut off from the rest of the world by an enormous, indestructible dome. If you visit the town of Southport during your trip to the Brunswick Islands, you will be able to recognize the two-story house located on East Bay Street and the pilots tower on the Southport Waterfront, both featured in the series.

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A Walk to Remember One of Nicholas Sparks' most iconic novels, A Walk to Remember follows a popular high school senior, Landon Carter, as he falls in love with the local minister's daughter, Jamie Sullivan. The two develop a powerful and romantic relationship in which they discover deep truths about one another. Visitors can stop by the beautiful church in Southport where Jamie’s dad worked as a minister or for a more romantic experience, visitors can watch the sunset over the Yacht Basin at the Riverwalk Gazebo where Landon told Jamie that he loved her for the first time.

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The Longest Ride The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks is a tale of two separate love affairs, intertwined into one fate-driven novel. The first pair of star-crossed lovers is Luke, a former champion bull rider looking to make a comeback and Sophia, a college student who is about to head to New York City to start her dream job. As fate would have it, they have a chance encounter with Ira, a ninety-one year old man who shares with them the epic story of his relationship with his late wife Ruth. Be sure to pull up a beach chair and break out this novel when visiting the charming seaside town of Caswell Beach that served as the filming location for where Ruth’s family spent the summer in the film adaptation.

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The Wedding The Wedding by Dorothy West is set in the 1950s in a small New England enclave that consists of the finest of the East Coast’s black bourgeoisie. The novel tells the story of a family gathering for their daughter’s wedding to a white jazz musician. The movie adaptation of the novel was turned into a television miniseries by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films that features several Southport's landmarks including the former Brunswick Inn, Bay Street and Southport City Pier.

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The Secret Life of Bees The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a New York Times Best Seller and the fictional story of Lily Owens, a 14-year-old girl looking to escape the memory of her late mother and a troubled relationship with her father. After arriving in a new town with her caregiver Rosaleen, Lily is taken in by the beekeeping Boatwright sisters and learns valuable lessons about life, power, and the world around her. While the book is set in South Carolina, the movie adaptation of the book, which starred the likes of Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys, was filmed partially in Southport. Eagle-eyed fans of the film will recognize the Amuzu Theatre. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty The Summer I Turned Pretty is the first book in a trilogy of the same name by author Jenny Han. Isabel “Belly” Conklin is ready for a summer she’ll never forget in a coming-of-age tale that touches upon first love and loss in the fictional town of Cousins Beach. Recently adapted into a series on Amazon Prime, fans of the show will recognize the Southport Riverwalk along West Bay Street and East Moore Street as filming locations in the first and second seasons.

No matter what book is on your summer reading list, all of the beaches and towns in the Brunswick Islands serve as a serene backdrop for diving into your favorite beach read. Take “A Walk to Remember” through these iconic film and book locations or forge your own path through the Brunswick Islands. Regardless of the itinerary, the Brunswick Islands is a “Safe Haven” for book worms and travelers alike.

For more information on North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands or to plan your next beach vacation, please visit www.ncbrunswick.com.