Top Ten Beach Reads

1. Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. It's all about summer (amongst other things), and it's so much fun. My kind of beach read.

2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Teen romance at its best.

3. Adorkable by Sarra Manning. Teen romance at its second best.

4. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding. Just pure fun.

5. Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan. Not exactly a light beach read, but the ocean is such a central part of the story it would be fantastic to read this book surrounded by the sounds and scents it describes.

6. Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst. A book featuring vampires that are actually deadly, that's still fun, light-hearted and highly entertaining. Awesome.

7. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. Teen romance at its trashiest. Perfect for sunny, no-brainer days on the sand.

8. Cargo by Jessica Au. This is another book which is not exactly light, but the beach is central to the story.

9. Puberty Blues by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey. Again, it's all about the beach and surf culture. Even though it goes to pretty dark places, it's also hilarious.

10. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. It's Toddlers and Tiaras meets Lost. And it's as brilliant as it sounds.

Top Ten Tuesday: Easy, Fun Beach Reads

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1. Bridget Jones's Diary be Helen Fielding. This is one of the few books that have ever made me literally Laugh. Out. Loud. It's light, fluffy, easy fun, with bonus Darcy. 

2. Anything by V.C. Andrews. It's the literary equivalent of a deep-fried Mars Bar: as junky as you can get but deliciously bad. 

3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. After going on a massive post-Twilight vampire book binge, I have well and truly overdosed on the genre and now avoid it more than Edward Cullen avoids sex sunlight. However, Vampire Academy remains one of my favourite YA series and one that I still recommend and occasionally reread. 

4. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. It's Toddler's and Tiaras meets Survivor with an extra helping of awesomeness. It's easy, entertaining and intellingent to boot. 

5. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. This Romeo and Juliet-esque tale (with a happier ending, natch) is completely cheesy but completely fun. 

6. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. This adorable summer road trip story is so perfect for the beach, I actually took along Matson's follow-up, Second Chance Summer in the hopes that it would be the same (the title also hinted to good beach reading. Alas, it wasn't exactly - but that's a story for another post). 

7. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. This book is one of my all-time favourites. The romance and humour make it perfect for warm days lazing about on the sand - with the downside that it will totally make you wish you were in Paris instead! 

8. Cargo by Jessica Au. While it's not as light as the others on this list, I had to include Cargo because it always makes me think of the ocean. And not just because of the cover - Au evokes life by the seaside so effectively, it's like you can almost smell and taste the ocean air while reading. Taking it to the beach would create the perfect real-life atmosphere. 

9. Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. Four girls share magical pants to stay connected during a summer apart. This was my gateway book for YA as an adult, and I'll always have a soft spot for it. 

10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It's got everything: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles." Whether you're sick in bed or sunning yourself on the sand, Goldman's satiric fairy tale is perfect for any situation.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.