Books you've read only because you found them in a holiday cottage.

[SwedishEdith]

Currently reading Nicci Gerrard's 'A Winter House' - hate all the characters but feel compelled to finish it.

Just remembered that I read a David Baddiel one once and cannot remember anything about it at all.

[StayGoldPonyBoy]

A book called The Other Woman about an overbearing MIL. I found it in our apartment and took it home. I usually hate chick-lit like that but it was compelling! I had to know how it ended!

[OsloGin]

One holiday let we've been to a few times had shelves and shelves of celeb biographies. Some of them interlinked in extraordinary ways (biog of one would link into biog of another/contradict same events). It became a guilty pleasure.

[HelloNewman]

I too have read 'The Moon's a Balloon', found in a beach hut in Fiji! Who'd have thought David Niven would be the most popular.

I also read 'The Thornbirds' and Maureen Lipman's autobiography found in a French gite.

[FrancesOldhamKelseyRIP]

In the "library" of a beach hotel in Mombasa many years ago I had tragically underpacked my books, read them all much too quickly, and ended up reduced to reading a Barbara Cortland. It was unspeakable. Half way through I was so appalled that I hurled it across the swimming pool, but I then had nothing else to read - multilingual bookshelf library and everything else was in German or Swedish. So I retrieved it (fortunately it hasn't fallen in), skipped past the offending chapter and continued to the bitter end. Turns out that our heroine retained her virginity and the tall dark brooding doctor proposed to her in the end.

[OsloGin]

Oh right. Had assumed Cartland's work would have been racier. Is virginity retention a theme? (Not something i can relate to).

[BringMeTea]

Australia by Bill Bryson, found in a tiny Parisienne apartment. Had to buy it on my return. Made me want to visit when I was meh beforehand.

Hackmum I found The Suspicions of Mr Whicher in a hotel 'library' in Singapore. I was utterly engrossed. Brilliant book.

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

The Secret History when I was abroad in my late teens. I kept it.

It's one of my favourite books, I don't know if I would have read it if I hadn't randomly found it on holiday.

[WiIdfire]

I read 'The Hot Zone' in a holiday cottage in about 1997. Wouldnt normally choose non-fiction but this was all there was. A fascinating book about the ebola epidemic in Africa. Really interesting detail about the disease etc - was thinking about it just recently when the current epidemic started.

[SanityClause]

I love Rose Tremaine! Which one is it?

I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in a holiday villa in Greece, once. It was okay, but not really my thang.

[Twodogsandahooch]

Madeleine by Kate McCann. Not a literary finest or a particularly cheerful holiday read.

[hackmum]

Oslo - I remember my late aunt saying that with Cartland, you got "stars, not spice", meaning that if something sexy was about to happen, she'd just place a row of asterisks.

My mum used to read them - they were all exactly the same.

Amusing to read about David Niven - that book must have been around for donkeys' years but I've never read it. Maybe it's time to give it a go.

[SwedishEdith]

It's 'The Road Home' - I think I'm going to "borrow" it as I won't finish it. I'll leave one in its place.

[DopeyDawg]

Thank you Charlieboo30

I thought it was intelligent and well researched and the time travelling bit was very thoughtfully done.

I shall go to the Library forthwith

[OsloGin]

That's really funny hackmum. I may have to look at some of Cartland's oeuvre in the library.

[tictactoad]

Not books but I got totally hooked on ancient Readers Digest magazines when I was about eight or nine. Fascinating stuff

[SanityClause]

Ha! That was the first one of hers I read, as well.

I agree you should swap it for some crappy chick lit, so you have time to read it.

[IAmLynetteScavo]

I first read "The Other Boleyn Girl" on holiday as a teen after finding it there. It began a lifelong love and I now am lucky enough to have the new Philippa Gregory book arrive on release day every year

[PerspicaciaTick]

I spent one summer holiday as a teen in a villa in Portugal. I read 27 Mills and Boon, 3 or 4 books most days. Figured I'd get it out of the way in one sitting.

[MiddleAgeMiddleEngland]

tictactoad I was exactly the same! In the cottage we used to rent as a child in cornwall there was a glass-fronted bookcase with a whole shelf of Readers Digests. Bliss. I used to look forward to them each year and even wish for a rainy day I can still remember some of the stories/articles in them.

[hackmum]

OsloGin: "I may have to look at some of Cartland's oeuvre in the library."

I think one will be enough to give you the gist.

[YonicScrewdriver]

Cross stitch is more likely to be known as Outlander after the TV series.

It's perfectly ok to take a book home if you leave another one...isn't it?

[YonicScrewdriver]

I can't wait for the next outlander book. Reread the whole series on holiday.

[YonicScrewdriver]

And read a few pages of a Jodi Picoult someone had left!

[holdonaminute]

Another vote for David Niven's The Moon's a Balloon. Not my usual genre at all but i found it really interesting.

[GoblinLittleOwl]

Fanny by Gaslight.(it was a long time ago.)