Holiday Reads and Reviews

Whilst Nick took on the challenge of ploughing through all of the Game of Thrones books (hero), I opted for some different holiday reads…

If you’re looking for a book recommendation, here’s a rundown of some of the books I read poolside, on the beach, and on all of the buses, planes, and trains. Travelling is the perfect time to power through your reading list!

So this was a re-read but I find that Orwell’s work never loses relevance and cannot be re-read too many times. It’s a short and easy read so if you’re struggling to get into reading or feel like you ‘don’t have time’, Animal Farm is a good place to start. The more I read this book, the more heartbreaking it is that it is based on the real world and how humans treat each other.

PS – George Orwell would 100% be one of my guests at my Fantasy Dinner Party. (You can invite 5 people dead/alive – who would you pick?)

The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kashmiri and Fumitake Koga  

When you read a book from a best-seller list and instantly regret it. The premise seemed intriguing and so I popped this one on the Kindle and began to read. Written in a conversational script style, this book documents the chats between the Philosopher and the Young Man.

It was almost painful to read and felt like the whole thing could’ve been summarized in a few pages. It was dragged out by the young man’s blind refusal to accept anything the philosopher said; like the whining of a petulant child. If I learned anything I guess it was that it wasn’t the authors’ job to make me like the book; it was my job to either like or dislike it. While I appreciated the wisdom and message of the book, I wouldn’t recommend you devote your precious sun-bathing time to its pages.

The Fault in our Stars by John Green  

I’m definitely late to the party and I haven’t seen the film but I did know it by reputation, and I knew the basic premise. I BAWLED MY EYES OUT. As I flicked through the pages vigorously absorbing the plot and characters, I became so invested in their journey. Towards the end of the book I literally stayed awake all night just so I could get to the end and see what would happen. Such a page turner!

Fields’ Guide to Abduction: A Poppy Fields Adventure by Julie Mulhern 

While the daughter of a celebrity doesn’t exude many empathise-with-me vibes – with her unlimited money, private villa, rich friends, and private jet – she’s an interesting character. A window into the lives of the rich and famous, and what happens when your Mum is one of the most popular women in Hollywood. An easy holiday read with an interesting story-line. It wasn’t ‘I cannot put this book down’ intense, but it was still a page turner and a good one for relaxing by the poolside.

11.22.63 by Stephen King  

King has a reputation to live up to and does not disappoint. No blood, guts, and gore in this one, though. An interesting and intellectual look at time travel and what would happen if one of the most significant and famous events in America’s history could be changed; 11.22.63 looks at what might happen if someone were able to go back and stop the assassination of JFK.

Time travel is always a fun subject to tackle, and I enjoyed the element of ‘the past doesn’t want to be changed’ running through this narrative. A weird thought I had whilst reading: this character could not have accomplished much of what he did had he not been a white man. Though that made me a little disappointed in humans, I absolutely adored reading this. I wholeheartedly recommend you read it RIGHT NOW.

Date Night by Samantha Hayes  

If you loved Gone Girl, and like a gripping mystery, Date Night will not disappoint! I whisked through the pages, desperately trying to figure it all out… and I really did not see that one coming!

Polish up your best detective skills and try and work this one out, as pieces of the puzzle are gradually revealed and you’re never sure of whose story you can trust. I got some Girl on the Train vibes with potentially unreliable narrators and an ending I couldn’t have predicted. No spoilers here – just get your hands on a copy and start reading.

If you have any great holiday reads to recommend, leave them in the comments – I love a book recommendation! And you can click the pictures in this post to grab any of those books for yourself (except the one I did NOT recommend because I stand by my word).