I’m going on vacation next week and want to put a couple books on my Kindle. Who wants to recommend a good beach read? Parameters:
Preferably fiction
Set in current day
No romance novels (Chick-Lit is okay)
Not too “thought provoking”
Lighthearted is good
Happy Ending is good (or at least one that’s not depressing)
If it has a dog in it, that’s even better
Ready, Set…Go!
Rita Mae Brown writes a series of lighthearted murder mysteries ( nobody liked them anyway), which have a cat & a Corgi, as main characters.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165358.Wish_You_Were_Here
I also like Alexander Mccall Smith #1 Ladies Detective Agency series, but I havent read this one.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dog-who-came-in-from-the-cold-a-corduroy-mansions-novel-by-alexander-mccall-smith/
The novels set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina by Dorothea Benton Frank are good beach reads. Full of humor and happy endings. “Sullivan’s Island” her first was the best.
I definitely fall in the “not too thought provoking” category for choosing my reads most of the time. 
A couple of books recently that are easy, modern day, beach books:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14838452-table-for-seven
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3733297-the-geometry-of-sisters
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3300861-bon-appetit ( if you like cooking/baking and France)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17286747-necessary-lies (not recent but very good!)
I should mention that I am a library user rather than a new book store buyer so these are not “hot off the press” books.
A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman
“Even the most serious reader of fiction needs light relief, and for that afternoon when all you want is charm, this is the perfect book." (San Francisco Chronicle)
Fits your parameters: fiction, current day, not a romance … except for the Cat Annoyance (rather than dog)
The Little Brother,
Luckiest Girl Alive
Emma by Alexander McCall Smith - a modern retelling of the Austen novel.
don’t recommend “The Martian” brutally boring while stranded astronaut tries to calculate his rations, chapter after chapter after chapter
In addition to Dorthea Benton Frank, I also enjoy Jan Karon’s books. Centered on Father Tim, an Episcopal priest, they focus on relationship with his small town friends and his dog:)
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
Marlene beat me to it
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19486412-big-little-lies
Anything by Elin Hilderbrand or Jane Green.
I read this recently, and all the science and math discussions involved in calculating those rations (and how to conserve and/or extend them, utilizing his equipment in MacGyverish fashion) were not what I’d call fascinating. I was able to enjoy the book only by skimming all those sections. Wondering all the while about how in the world they’re going to be able to make a movie from this book without sending audiences streaming out in droves or falling asleep.
I tend to like series for my “beach” reading. (I start with the first one and work my way through in order) I like Sue Grafton’s “alphabet” mysteries; I second the suggestion of the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown, and for something a bit grittier, Robert Parker’s Spenser novels. I started reading Elin Hilderbrand on vacation this summer. Enjoyed the 2 I read (The Matchmaker and The Rumor) much more than I thought I would.
If you like funny books, and don’t mind light science fiction, try Gini Koch’s “Touched by an Alien” series, they are a hoot, definitely good beach reading material IMO.
Can’t wait to get on Goodreads / Amazon tonight and look into these! I had forgotten that One Plus One was on my “to read” list, I LOVED Me Before You…
I really enjoyed The Martian, no question it’s written for those who like their sci fi convincing, but I actually skimmed through very little of it and I found it quite amusing. However I don’t think it’s what the OP has in mind at all!
Funny, mystery thrillers about low-lifes in Florida - Carl Hiassen.
Anne Tyler’s Ladder of Years starts with a woman walking away from her family at the Delaware beach. It’s her usual mix of humor and misfits.
If you don’t mind cats instead of dogs Beth Hilgartner’s Cats in Cyberspace is a hoot. There is a bit part for a dog, but I regret to say, he’s very dumb. It’s the cats who are clever.
If you like Elin Hilderbrand, you will also enjoy Nancy Thayer–same island setting.
My husband LOVED The Martian, and asked for me to find similar books. I found him John Scalzi -Redshirts, and Old Mans War.
Right now he is reading non fiction ( which is generally all I read), David MCullough. The Path between the Seas ( Panama Canal), and The Wright Brothers, and I am reading The Rook, (science fiction)which I am dragging out because the next book wont be published till January.
A neighbor is a librarian, which is going to be an incredible resource for our new book group, and told us about several sites.
Longform is one & http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com
https://www.bookbub.com/home/
I would highly recommend Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple. It’s really cute, quirky, deals with the topic of an Antarctic vacation, and has some laugh-out-loud moments as well as a happy ending.