Can anyone recommend three books for holiday reading?

[Rosieeo]

It might be wishful thinking with two little 'uns, but I plan on buying three books for my hols and don't want to do it last minute at the airport.

I want something really thick and meaty, that I can really get into. It's been so long since I read a book like that!

I (generally) don't like chick or victim literature, not too keen on detective stuff or Dan Brown stylee. I normally like the bookclub type novels but have been a bit with some of them recently.

It would be great to have recommendations, if anyone has any?

Revolutionary Road - gorgeously written. Heavy subject matter but throught provoking.

OOhh yes I'd say Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood too - I'm not a big fan of her other books (they're ok) but I do love this one - I often re-read it.

I'm a Gone With The Wind fan too! I wouldn't describe it as meaty though - more fluffy. It's my top guilty pleasure. Love Middlemarch too, that one is creeping to the top of my re-read list.

I'm currently reading The American Boy by Andrew Taylor - historical detective fiction with less emphasis on detection and more on a good read. Light, but engrossing.

Have you read Testament of Youth by Vera Britten? - it doesn't really fall into your categories neatly, it's a first hand account of a young woman during WWI and I found it tremendous, moving, fascinating, insightful, heartrending and totally absorbing. The recent deaths of the WWI veterans reminded me of it. It's very well written and the author became a noisy campaigner against war based on her experiences.

Also the CJ Sansom Shardlake novels - they are also historical detective fiction but well written and historically detailed. I'm quite jealous of anyone who hasn't already read these.

Oh good. I've recently ordered Dissolution Gusset, as I saw it recommended on one of these threads.

Are you jealous of me?

Pillars of The Earth/World Without End are engrossing historical novels too, but they are whoppers OP, maybe not ideal if you only plan to take 3!

I really enjoyed Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and the Time Traveller's Wife- not recent but you may not have read them!

This was a surprisingly good read OP

Not chick-lit as I suspected, took it away with me on hols. Perfect beach/poolside book IMO

DON'T read The Road by Cormack Macarthy - well written but totally depressing and not the sort of thing you need on holiday. I finished it today and was also disappointed with the non-conclusive end.

Liked The Testament of Gideon Mack, but it is a little strange.

Currently enjoying The Time Traveller's Wife, but only read a few chapters so far.

My favourite book of all time is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hossenni (sp?) - ok, I admit, also depressing, but wonderful.

SobriquetDuJour - soooo jealous! Someone needs to invent a mind-cleanser for selected books/tv programmes (I also want to forget all 7 series of West Wing so I can see them again for the first time). I'd buy one!

Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks Gusset

Hmm, excellent mind-cleansing idea. I'd do that for The 5 series of The Wire & Jane Austen's complete works...

Not that I have diverse tastes or anything

How about Peyton Place? Jodi Picoult's books all morph into one for me - they are so, so similar.

Anne Tyler's books are good. And would second anything by William Boyd. A Good Man in Africa was great (not least because I knew the person that the book was - allegedly - based on).

am on hol atm
loved american wife and hated three cups of tea, hte julian fellows book thats out atm - crap and hated the hisslop shit spanish one

am on hol atm
loved american wife and hated three cups of tea, hte julian fellows book thats out atm - crap and hated the hisslop shit spanish one

I read the Other Hand (Chris Cleave), Dear Fatty (Dawn French) and The Return (Victoria Hislop)on hols - turned out to be a good combination of styles and I enjoyed all three. My favourite was The Return, even though I guessed the ending. I LOVED This Book Will Save Your Life - one of the most original, funny books I have ever read! Hope you enjoy it too, Rosieeo

Have you read child 44 by Tom rob Smith? It's crime fiction, to a degree, but compellingly written. Also, the 19th wife, by David Ebershoff - about mormons, but a novel - also compelling.

BadgerArse, I agree with you re: the Victoria Hislop book - it's just so twee and predictable.

BadgersArse, I loved American Wife too

Didn't read Hislop's Spanish one as I was thoroughly put off with the one-dimensional characters in her previous one about the lepers, The Island?

Thank god for the favourites list on Amazon! Some of these sound brilliant and I've already read some and agree, so I know I'm on the right lines. Of Vicars and Tarts and Revolutionary Road are winning atm.

Gone With The Wind is an all time favourite and I totally agree about the 19th Wife and about Victoria Hislop - I didn't get on with The Island at all.

Jodi whatshername makes me cry; they're all about kids aren't they? I was the same with The Memory Keeper and The Girls. I loved A THousand Splendid Suns too.

Pompeii by Robert Harris was great, read it on hols,couldn't put it down and nor could DH!

Some great suggestions here already but I would add Katharine by Anya Seton if you like Philippa Gregory as it is along the same vein but much better IMO.

Thanks for the Wally Lamb suggestion - I had got fed up of looking for another book from him over the years so might never have seen he had a new one out

DONT BUY Swallowing Grandma - it's rubbish. Was the only book I had on holiday so I was forced to read it. I put it in the bin afterwards - and I am a great booklover. Have never done that before.

I take it you have read the Harry Potter books...? They are great holiday reads

Loving this thread as am always on the look out for decent reads, I loathe and despise chick lit and misery memoirs.

Am pleased I'm not the only one who hated 'The Island' by Hislop, I thought it was flimsy rubbish but so many of my girlfriends loved it.

I second Katharine by Anya Seton too, for those who enjoy historical fiction. Also anything written by Anne Tyler or William Boyd - Any Human Heart was a highlight for me. I liked Revolutionary Road too and intend to read more Richard Yates.

I loved Glue by Irvine Welsh - much more grown up, complex and involved than his other novels I thought.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is wonderful. Bought it at the airport because I liked the title and it wasn't too thick. Read it really quickly on holiday because its just such a lovely book. Lent it to MIL and she thought it was great too.
It's about the German occupation of Guernsey in the war, it makes you laugh and cry. Isn't depressing, but all about the human spirit and human kindness.
Avairy Gate is also good, about the harem in the Ottoman empire. Is a really interesting part of history and a love story too, but definitely not chick lit.

Anything by Jodi Picoult! Once you start reading her books - you won't stop!! The Time Travelers Wife is good and The Memory Keepers Daughter is thought provoking. All good holiday reads!

The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons - it's a great big thick chunky book set in Russia in WW2 - utterly absorbing and perfect holiday reading.

I've just finished The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff, both a historical novel about polygamy and a murder mystery. Really interesting.