Congress is out of town for the rest of August, which means it’s the perfect time to head to the beach, kick back on the sand and crack open a 640-page biography of a 19th-century senator.

If your idea of a “beach read” is a book so hefty you could use it as a doorstop (or an anchor for your sun umbrella), then you have some good options this summer.

Or try a fast-paced novel that takes you far from the halls of the Capitol — but not too far, since our list includes a politician-turned-spy and other congressional characters.

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