E-Mail This Article to a Friend Bookish types When the tome’s not enough, try these literary accessories BY JULIE SURATT

’Tis the season for top-down convertibles, sunburned noses, sand between your toes, and, most important, juicy beach reads. In the spirit of Danielle Steel, John Grisham, and Mary Higgins Clark, we offer book accessories to aid your escape — whether you’re at the beach, in bed, or somewhere in between.

Barnes & Noble sells handy canvas carrying cases for hardbacks ($10.95), trade paperbacks ($9.95), and paperbacks ($8.95) to protect them from the elements. With a shoulder strap, it’s $29.95. (Men, don’t worry — remember Seinfeld? "It’s not a purse. It’s European.") You’ll also find a variety of creative placeholders, from The Girls bookmarks ($4.95) — yoga girl, reading girl, café girl, travel girl — to the Smart Bookmark ($2.95), which you can clip on to the page to mark the last line you read before dozing off.

If your bed companion complains about you reading into the wee hours of the night, consider getting a Light Wedge ($34.95) from the Harvard Coop. Much more durable than the typical clip-on book light, the Wedge is a clear acrylic pane that rests on the book, lighting up the entire page, rather than simply spotlighting sections. The advantage is that there’s no glare to disrupt anyone’s precious sleep. The Coop also carries a Talking Book Light ($29.95) that allows you to record up to 10 seconds of audio notes. That, however, seems to defeat the purpose (and subtlety) of a book light.

Instead of whispering into a microphone, why not mark passages or quotes with Book Darts ($2.49), paper-thin metal clips available at Bob Slate Stationer? Or you can simply write them down in a Book Notes Journal ($19.95) from Brookline Booksmith. The journal has sections to record recommended reads, comments and thoughts on a particular book, and information about books borrowed or lent. For a more portable version, get the Mini Book Notes ($7.95).

For hands-free reading, Borders sells a metal book holder ($4.95), which keeps your book upright as you follow directions or talk on the phone. And we’re partial to a leather book weight ($9.95), which is easier to use. Finally, with all the books you’ve accumulated over the years, you’ll likely need bookends. Bowl & Board has green-ceramic-frog or white-cat bookends ($25 and $21/pair) and clear glass blocks ($44/pair).

Before we leave you to your reading pleasure, we offer the words of Groucho Marx: "Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read."

Where to find it:

• Barnes & Noble, 395 Washington Street, Boston, (617) 426-5184; www.bn.com

• Bob Slate Stationer, 1288 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 547-1230.

• Borders, various locations; www.borders.com

• Bowl & Board, 1354 Beacon Street, Brookline, (617) 566-4726.

• Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, (617) 566-6660; www.brooklinebooksmith.com

• Harvard Coop, 1400 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 499-2000; www.thecoop.com