Summer Reading List

As it is getting close to the Summer Holidays (about 7 weeks for me!) I thought it would be nice to have a Summer Holiday type theme blog. So I have thought about it a little bit (about 30 seconds) and decided that it would be impossible for me to do something like a sunscreen test as I feel that none of the female staff here in the office would let me smear factor 25 all over them for the ‘smearability’ test without the possibility of a sexual harassment claim going into personnel. So I am afraid that’s a no go.

The best I can come up with then is a Summer Book list where I will recommend my favourite reads and maybe you, dear reader can add a few to, in the comments box.

The list is not in ranked order, but just as I can remember the titles and authors.


1. Dan Brown – The Da Vinci Code. This is an easy to pick up book, you’ll find it at Car Boot sales and in the remainder shops for about £3. This is not the main recommendation of course, but it helps if the books are cheap. Despite the hype this is a great book, I really enjoyed it and it was one of those un put downable books. Get past the hype, forget about all the phoney conspiracy theories and read this as the great thriller it is. A good beach book.

2. Look out for any of the books by James Lee Burke. His detective thrillers set in New Iberia, a sleepy backwater parish in Louisiana are well written and Lee Burke writes a good story. Again these books are often to be found Car Boot sales, start with ‘Neon Rain’ for a steamy look into the nasty streets of New Orleans and an introduction to Dave Robicheaux the main character

3. Mark Haddon. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. A teenage autistic savant narrates his search for the killer of his neighbor’s dog, which leads to discoveries about his own life. Another unputdownable read. I think I read this in one sitting. A strange but interesting read.

4. Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This is a really really good book, it takes a while to get into, but persevere, and it is well worth the wait and leaves you thinking about it afterwards. Brilliant!

5. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: by Robert M. Pirsig. This is one of those books that has been with me always. I keep lending it to people and then having to buy a new copy. Its not an easy book to read, it makes you think and takes you on a journey, but stick with it, its worth the ride.

6. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, while we are being philosophical lets read this book. Perfect for sticking in your back pocket and reading a few lines now and then.

7. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. I didn’t think I would like this book, not my type at all, but it was a great read a romance set against the first world war.

8. Janet Evanovich and the Stephanie Plum Novels which start with One for the Money. Great, Funny detective novels starring Stephanie Plum who tries her hand at bounty hunting. After all, how hard can it be? Just the thing for the beach.

9. I am recommending two books from this author Anthony Bourdain Kitchen Confidential, and A Cook's Tour. The first book is Bourdain's bestselling exposé of twenty-five years of bad behaviour and haute cuisine. The book follows the chef from his first oyster in the Gironde to his lowly position as dishwasher in a honky-tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown – a great read. And the second book follows Bourdain as he criss-crosses the world sampling local delicacies from the sublime to the bizarre. Great reading for when you are about to sample those foreign delicacies!


10. Finally I would recommend most of Bill Brysons Books, travel literature for the traveller. Witty and sharp observations.

Oh there are loads more I could add to this list but I would be interested in getting recommendations for me, for this summers reading. I will be away for a month in Ukraine from the middle of July, so I will need a pile of books to take with me, so please, lets hear what you are reading and what you recommend.