Oh what to take on holiday? Do I want a romance? Or something new for book club? What about a mystery to keep me entertained while the kids are swimming? Rest assured, we have searched high and low and compiled some recommendations for you. Pair any/all with lots of sunscreen, maybe a piña colada, and don’t forget your sun hat!

Fiction

Carrie Soto is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid

The last couple of years had everyone screaming Jenkins Reid’s name from the rooftops, and the long-awaited Carrie Soto is Back is the perfect summer read. Follow the ambitious, determined Carrie, the most decorated tennis player of all time, as she comes out of retirement to reclaim her title from the newest golden girl on the court. Full of the drama of professional tennis, twisting character dynamics, and a drive that will have you fixed to the page. 

Love Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood

Rival scientists? Fake dating? Theoretical physics? What more could you want? Physics professor Elsie supplements her paycheck selling her services as a ‘fake girlfriend’. But when the arrogant and attractive older brother of her favourite client turns out to be the same experimental physicist standing between Elsie and her dream job at MIT, things get complicated. Funny, light-hearted, intelligent and just a little bit steamy, this is our go-to book for hot days by the pool.

Briefly, A Delicious Life - Nell Stevens

Blanca has been dead since 1473. As a teenaged ghost, she spends her time spying on the monks and townspeople of Mallorca, wringing every possible drop of playfulness from the afterlife. That is, until the arrival of George Sand four centuries later. George is a celebrated novelist, a woman in men's clothing who loves passionately and disregards the confines of gender. Blanca falls for her instantly. And when the townspeople turn against George and her ailing lover Frederic, Blanca may be all that keeps them from disaster. Longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, Nell Stevens’s debut is a seductive, otherworldly tale of love and yearning. A true celebration of unconventionality. 

The Boys From Biloxi - John Grisham

For those who want their beach reads with a side of crime, Grisham’s newest is a brutal and complex story mixing legal thriller with a corrupt criminal underground. Two best friends grow up in their father’s footsteps, one the ‘Boss of Biloxi’ and its criminal gangs, the other a famous prosecutor intent on hunting him down. Friendships are tested, morals twisted, and lives put at risk. Full of Grisham’s characteristic twists, compelling characters, and crackling with tension, it will keep you hooked until the last word.

Non-Fiction

The Premonitions Bureau - Sam Knight

Have you ever known who was calling before you picked up the phone? Or had a dream about an old friend before bumping into them at the shops? Okay, how about predicting the collapse of the colliery spoil tip in Aberfan? British psychiatrist John Barker was obsessed with the idea of precognition, or a person’s ability to predict events before their occurrence. So Barker assembled The Premonitions Bureau, a department where readers of the Evening Standard could send their hunches, which would then be analysed and either validated or discarded. At once logical and eccentric, this book is a fascinating account of one man’s lifetime searching for a scrap of evidence to legitimise this 'voodoo science'.

Concorde - Mike Bannister 

Faster than a bullet with views of space from your window, Concorde became a thing of legend in its quarter-century of flight. And Mike Bannister was in the cockpit. As British Airways’ Chief Concorde Pilot, very few can speak of the famed plane like Bannister. From the initial idea, through the developmental stages, to the on-board service, passengers, and finally the fateful crash in July of 2000. A riveting rollercoaster of a read, Concorde is the experience of a lifetime just like the plane itself.

Children's

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind - Misa Sugiura

When adventure calls, do you answer? Momo has always been teased for mixing myth and reality, but when a death hag attacks her at school she realises all her mother’s stories are true! Momo is half-human, half-goddess, and it is up to her to protect the gateway to the land of the dead, and stop all the evil monsters from breaking out! The perfect read for all kids age 9+, Momo Arashima is the adventure we all need. Exciting, funny, and full of drama, it’s sure to keep kids hooked from start to finish.

Safiyyah’s War - Hiba Noor Khan

Safiyyah lives in the mosque in Paris, too afraid to leave for fear of the bombs dropping on her city.  But when her father is taken by the Nazi’s, Safiyyah must make a decision: stay in safety or help the Resistance? Danger lurks at every turn, but Safiyyah knows she must help those seeking sanctuary. Will she be able to find the courage to enter the catacombs and lead the Jews to safety? Deeply hopeful and unforgettable, Khan weaves a tale filled with moments of kindness and bravery.