If you’re anything like me, the ideal beach read is an obscure nineteenth century hardcover whose binding, already disintegrating, will surely be finished off by the sand. Summer is the season in which your carefully selected “to read” list is entirely demolished by the serendipitous books that materialize at roadside library sales or flea markets. With the burdens of daily life lifted, or at least mitigated by the long, sunny days, we naturally allow ourselves to focus on more…