My 5 Top Summer Reads
What to download or pack for your holiday
I spend most of my year reading for a purpose. Sometimes it is research for a book, or a new book for review so I can interview the author on my podcast Mythmakers, or because I feel I should as everyone is talking about it…
I thought I would make a list that is just for fun. My top 5 are going to be geographically themed rather than ranked in merit so I’m picking 5 destinations that I am planning (or might conceivably) to go to soon!
Tuscany
Still Life by Sarah Winman. I read this on my last visit to a little village near Florence that our family has gone to on a regular basis since the 1960s. It is a book that inspired me to read other books. I went on to read the biography of Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. I really love books that open up doors to yet more stories.
Iceland
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. It is a haunting tale of a woman accused of murder and how a small community with no jail copes with the accused living among them. Driving round Iceland a few years ago, it was the perfect accompaniment.
Istanbul
The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak. I have a confession to make about this one. On our family trip to Istanbul over Easter I didn’t get to read it unlike my son who snaffled if off my husband and then read it very slowly. I was stuck reading Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul - a wonderful memoire but quite melancholy. Apparently, it is very good (she says, seething!).
Paris
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. This was a bookclub pick a few years ago and I remember it to this day (always a good test). It savours like a whiff of fresh coffee and baguette and gives you an insight to the strange world of the concierge.
Moscow
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Sadly (for obvious and tragic reasons) I’m unlikely to go to Russia any time soon. In the meanwhile, you can travel there in the pages of a book. I enjoyed the Paramount series but think the book is better as you get even more time with Count Rostov.
Bonus destination - The Lake District
If you are headed to the Lakes, may I suggest taking my own book, just out in paperback. Imagine yourself in 1812 meeting the Wordsworths and solving a series of murders and deadly attacks! You can get it here or order through your local bookshop.
