Five beach reads that won't rot your brain

Curtis Sittenfeld is the author of the bestselling novels American Wife, Prep, and The Man of My Dreams. Her new novel is Sisterland.

For the Wall Street Journal, Sittenfeld named "five beach reads that are devour-able without being dismissible," including:

Brick Lane
Monica Ali (2004)

A Bangladeshi immigrant in London is torn between the kind, tedious older husband with whom she has an arranged marriage (and children) and the fiery political activist she lusts after. A novel that's multi-continental, richly detailed and elegantly crafted.

Read about another book on the list.

Brick Lane is one of David Goodhart's five top books on immigration & multiculturalism.

--Marshal Zeringue