Summer reads

Whether you're going on holiday or just enjoying the sun (hopefully!) from the comfort of your own home, summer is a great time to lounge around reading a book. Here are gransnetters' picks for their recommended books this summer.

Fiction

 

 

A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - devastatingly good. whitewave

 

 

 

Perfect Love - Elizabeth Buchanan (Love her books!) Ariadne

 

 

 

I have just started, and am enjoying, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach. Great summer reading in my opinion! Anagram

 

 

 

 

The Greenhouse by Audur Ava Olafsdottir, it was a freebie Kindle, a bit different, and I really enjoyed it. sunflowersuffolk

 

 

 

 

Have just read One Moment, One Morning and The Two Week Wait by Sarah Rayner and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. PetitFilou

 

 

My own all time favourite book of all time - Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres- NOTHING like the film. Just bear with it through the first few chapters - the ending is beautiful GrandmaH (also recommended by Jan)

 

 

I'm hooked on Douglas Kennedy. Am reading The Moment and thoroughly enjoying the experience. The author is an artist with words. Very believable and moving. soop 

 

 

I am revisiting Barbara Pym. She wrote a lot in the 50s and 60s. Most of her novels are about people and their every day lives and idiosyncrasies. Her characters are often former gentility in reduced circumstances, perhaps trying to deal with the changing social circumstances of the 1950s and 60s. There is a lot of gentle humour and compassion for the often rather odd characters she writes about. There are no fast moving plots. Nelliemoser 

 

 

 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Please take care when you get to the last few chapters - find a secluded corner and invest in a large box of tissues. You will love the book, but uncontrollable sobbing is never a good look. mibs 

 

 

 

We love the Perigord region in France and I have just discovered the Martin Walker books about Bruno, Chief of Police. Evokes the life of a rural community beautifully, and that French obsession with food and wine! MrsJamJam

 

 

 

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. At a party in a Melbourne suburb, an angry adult administers a slap to an out of control four-year-old whose parents have allowed him to become an intolerable brat. Consequences follow, sides are taken, life is never the same again for those involved. Some ripe Australian language, but none the worse for that! BoomerBabe 

 

 

 

A really quick read was The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell. Mobell 

 

 

I absolutely loved Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Not as heavy as Poisonwood or Lacuna - it is about people and nature. A lovely book set in the states. JessM 

 

 

I've just finished The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas. An intriguing tale, set in two time lines, but not confusingly so. The descriptions of Srinagar are stunning as the author travelled there herself and also studied the methods by which the exquisite shawls are - or were - made. I enjoyed the characterisation of Nerys and her grand-daughter Mair who is trying to find out about her life in Kashmir. Annobel 

I loved The Kashmir Shawl too. Bez

 

 

My latest find is Edward St Aubyn - Mothers Milk and all the others- intense but soooo well written. suemck146 

  

 

 

Just finished reading Kate Furnivall's The White Pearl. Anything she writes is such a good read. Finished the White Pearl at 2am! Connie, wife to Nigel and mother of Teddy. A loveless marriage on a rubber plantation in Malaya just before the fall of Singapore. Full of nail biting adventure, right up until the very last pages. I have read all Kate's books and can't wait for a further book. ruxandra

 

 

 

I always loved the Elizabeth Goudge books. The Herb of Grace etc. jeni 

 

 

 

 

My choice would be Victoria Hislop. The Island and The Thread are both set in Greece and The Return is set in Spain. As well as being a good read they provide an insight into the social history of these two Countries. Hankipanki

• Order The Thread in large print

 

 

 

An African Love Story by Dame Daphne Sheldrick. Love, Life & Elephants. If you love animals you will love this. Sad ending though. wallers5

 

 

Water for Elephants - a slice of 19th century American life on a down at heel travelling-by-train circus. Fascinating window into a world that has long disappeared. JessM

 

 

 

Have just re-read, after more years than I care to remember, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and it is a wonderful read. I read it many times as a child but think I got far more out of it this time around. snailspeak

 

 

The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes. This was recommended to me by someone at my bookgroup and I read it in a very short time and throughly enjoyed it. It explores memories of relationships of 40 years ago at school and university and the main character is forced to re-evaluate his memories. A thought provoking read. Trayzee

 

 

 

I have just finished The Paris Wife about Hemingway's first wife (not a biography but lots of biographical detail). It was fascinating. I have never wanted to read Hemingway (all the bullfighting etc put me off) but I think I might now. This book is very well written account of their early life together and lovely stories about Paris and the South of France in the 20s. susiecb
 

 

Factual

The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson - The true story of a fathers miraculous journey to heal his son. Rupert and Kristan Isaacson were heartbroken when they learned that thier three year old son Rowan was autistic.

If you know of anyone or have worked with anyone with autism you'll connect with this straight away. A very interesting, informative and pleasurable read. Banananana 

 

  

Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore - or Young Stalin by same author. dorsetpennt 

 

 

To remind you of your own grandparents and your life as a child: Pieces of Molly: An ordinary life by Judith Gurney. This memoir tells the story of one life but taps in on what all little children have in common, their hopes and fears, and how special their grandparents are. Good reviews on Amazon: it 'echoes in the mind' says one reviewer. Fluffie

  

 

Historical

 

Just finishing The Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears and it is our book club read this month. Rather a long book and complicated but wonderful interesting writing style and very well researched. Set in the 17th century Oxford. Some one is murdered and the wider events around the murder are told by 4 different men. The Characters are based on real people and events in History. Ajanela 

 

 

After loathing history at school I now can't get enough of it! My favorite author is Sharon Kay Penman - her books are so well written. She has a new book out about Richard the Lionheart and I can't wait to get started. If you haven't read any of her novels start with The Sunne in Splendour set during the war of the roses - brilliant! lesleysmallbiz
 

 

 

All the Patrick O'Brian series about Jack Aubrey (18th century sailing ships stories) . They are brilliant. I don't know what I shall do when I have finished them ! lujaha

 

 

 

 

I was introduced to Lesley Pearse and loved Belle. I followed that with Stolen. Both good holiday reads. uknana 

 

 

 

Thank for your suggestion of Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks. I ordered it on Amazon and have just started it. It is beautifully written and I've already had a little cry. dorsetpennt

 

Thriller/crime

 

 

While doing an emergency babysit in the heat of Europe I read Borkmann's Point by Hakan Nesser-and the weather is always part of the story. A good read. Stansgran

 

 

 

One of my favourite authors is C J Sansom. He has written about a hunch back lawyer in the reign of Henry V111 and Oliver Cromwell. I don't usually like historical novels but couldn't put his books down. Grandmanorm (also recommended by numberplease)

 

Fantasy

 

 

Bit of a fantasy fan myself, just finished Game of Thrones, very good. ginny3 
 

 

 

Other things you might like

• Read the original summer reading suggestions and add your own.
• Find out more about the Gransnet book club.
• A love of books - Clare Burkhill-Howarth's guest blog on sharing great reads with your grandchildren.