not too heavy but not entirely mindless holiday reading?

[MarthaFarquhar]

so we are going away at the end of the month, and I have some waterstones vouchers to spend. Any recommendations for new fiction?

what sorts of things do you usually like?

David Nicholls - One Day, following the lives of 2 friends on the same day each year. Not heavy going but not cliched chick lit.

stealth, I've recently been reading Ian McEwan, LP Hartley (again), Maggie O'Farrell, Jonathan Coe.

Thanks bumper - will have a look tomorrow.

Have you read Sarah Watters, The Little Stranger ? Pretty spooky but not too heavy

spooky i like

I never get time to read except when on holiday, and I like Penny Vincenzi for entertaining, but interesting reading.

My favourite author though is Jean Auel - the Earth's Children Series.

Also autobiographies are interesting - David Attenborough's are good.

I've just started reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett and am really enjoying it so far. Its about black maids in Mississippi in 1962. The Sunday Times billed it as "The other side of Gone with the Wind - and just as unputdownable"

Have you read The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher? It is long - if you like long books for holidays, not difficult to read, well written (shortlisted for Booker in 2008).
Little Stranger though is a must read!

Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Have you seen the film? It's a mystery thriller.

Thanks all - will check out all of these recommendations. I enjoyed Hensher's Kitchen Venom, so would be interested in the new one.

divine secrets of the yaya sisterhood

not a new one but have recommended it on here before

i love it

The Mermaid Chair and Secret Life of Bees are both really enjoyable holiday reads I think.

If you like funny but factual books that are easy to dip in and out of, I'd recommend "An Utterly Impartial History of Britain" by John O'Farrell or "Vive La Revolution" by Mark Steel.

Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig - a snapshot of life in multi-cultural London. Our book group read it and we all loved it.

The new Lisa Jewell novel - After the Party is really good too

Yes to the Yaya Sisterhood.

I didn't like that John O' Farrell one. I like history books but don't like non-amusing writers laughing at their own non-funny jokes, so it irritated me.

I've just got the new Bill Bryson, which is good so far and is light but intelligently written.

Liz Jensen?

Have you read The Gargoyle? That is quite good but I can't remember offhand who it's by.

not new but pat barker's another world...a character from her regeneration trilogy re-appears as an old, ill man with ptsd, now surrounded by his son and his second wife and their kids...sounds a bit grim but so readable