Six recent welcoming, relatable, and fun beach reads

Beach reads don't have to be guilty pleasures, argues Ryan Britt at The Barnes & Noble Book Blog. They can be welcoming, relatable, and fun. One recent title that fits the bill:

The Last Illusion, by Porochista Khakpour

Revisiting a Y2K New York City, Khakpour’s sophomore novel focuses on a boy who sort of believed he was a bird. We all construct different coping mechanisms for the terrible things in our lives, but in The Last Illusion, Khakpour has created one such mechanism that is both a little sad, but randomly funny, too. It also doesn’t hurt that the writing is super-smooth, and above all, extremely consuming. If you’re looking to be taken away, but with an anchor to the familiar, this is your summer novel.

Read about another book on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue