Summer holiday reading can be a minefield. Too many thrillers and you risk confusion; too much romance and your teeth might rot. Jenny Colgan, introducing a roundup of authors' picks, advises a balanced diet: fiction and non-fiction, with the freedom to abandon all rules for a water-stained classic.
Colgan's own tips include Kathy Burke's autobiography A Mind of My Own for the outward journey, Ann Patchett's Whistler for post-rosé afternoons, and This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin for immersive heat. For quality reads that can be finished in an afternoon, she recommends Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, while Emma Cline's The Guest is perfect for days when everyone is annoying. A non-fiction palate cleanser is Belle Burden's Strangers about a failing Wasp marriage.
Freida McFadden, author of The Housemaid, recommends The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, a historical novel set in the Great Depression. Another author (from the roundup) suggests The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson, a frothy tale of secrets and betrayal in a Massachusetts coastal town. A third author praises Here in the Dark by Alexis Soloski, a modern noir about a theatre critic caught in a mystery.
Further recommendations include Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, a short, strange read about a woman content with her job, and Daniel Mason's Country People, described as a treat. Richard Osman's The Impossible Fortune is also highlighted for its lightness and comic ability, ideal for queuing at passport control.
