There’s nothing better than settling down to a good book on holiday, lying on a sun-bed, shaded from the sun and nodding off every so often. Dougie is very good at the nodding off bit, so much so it always surprises me how many books he can get through in a fortnight. We’re not particularly keen on Kindles, preferring to take proper books which you can flop over your face for extra shade or use to whack mozzies on bedroom walls. However, taking lots of books adds to the weight of the luggage so we try to mix and match, choosing titles that might suit both of us and even, if we’re lucky, ones Rory might deign to read too.
So here’s the low-down on the Burgess Book Bonanza this summer.
Rory’s Stories
Rory was always a great little reader when he was younger but then hit the teens and it became very difficult to encourage him to open a book unless he had to for school. This summer we had a little more success and, with some gentle nudging (ok, nagging) we persuaded him to get into the habit again.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel.
“Can’t I just watch the film?”
“No you can’t. For god’s sake just read the blummin’ thing.”
A success. He read it to the end, we had a decent family discussion about the ending and Rory shrugged, declaring it ‘ok’.
The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby.
A classic we thought he might find interesting and worth a punt as it only has 140 pages. It’s written by a man who, completely paralysed after a stroke, ‘dictated’ this memoir using only one eyelid. Rory appreciated it was a book ‘worth reading’ but he still didn’t enthuse about it.
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
by Jonas Jonasson.
Dougie and I loved reading this earlier in the year, a bestseller from a Swedish author which is a funny, unusual tale full of potentially believable encounters with characters from history. A cross between Forrest Gump and Voltaire’s Candide. We thought Rory would enjoy this and we were right. A big thumbs up from our lad.
Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace.
Rory’s favourite from the summer. A light read, quite laddish, but with gentle humour about a freelance writer who sees a beautiful girl in the street, happens to find her disposable camera and decides to develop the photos in order to track her down.
“You’ll like this, Mum. It’s got blogging and Facebook in it.” He was right, I did!
Dougie’s Delights
The Yard by Alex Grecian
1899. A gruesome story, set in London. Sherlock Holmes meets Jack the Ripper.
Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe
I don’t think I ever finished Tom Wolfe’s most famous novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, but Dougie did so he was eager to get his hands on this one which, he tells me, is a cracker of a read. It’s set in Miami, is funny, satirical and very contemporary, but it weights a ton so it was touch and go whether it would be allowed in the case.
The Bat by Jo Nesbo
This Scandi thriller is the first of the Harry Hole detective series, which Dougie should probably have read first before the others in the set. If he had, he would have realised the detective’s surname is pronounced ‘Hurle’ (try saying it like the Swedish chef in The Muppets) rather than Hole, rhymes with Nat King…
Dougie also read countless thrillers this summer, too numerous to mention and all featuring a 6′ tall, 40-something hero. Wonder why?
Trish’s Tales
Deep Blue Sea by Tasmina Perry
I was sent this book to review and it was a decent, easy read. A cut above some of the usual chic-lit in that it has a thread of suspense running through it. Well-written, set in Thailand, London and the Cotswolds, it was good holiday material.
Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
I bought this in the gift shop at the Heinrich Harrer museum in Huttenberg because I wanted to know more about the man whose remarkable life had led to the creation of the museum. A true adventure story of an Austrian prisoner-of-war who escaped internment in India and eventually reached Tibet via endless months of trekking across the Himalayas.
Patrick Leigh Fermor, An Adventure by Artemis Cooper
A biography of man who took off at the age of 18 to walk across Europe in the 1930s before fighting in Greece and Crete during the war. A scholar, a soldier and author, he is quite a character and it’s fascinating to learn about him but, to be honest, I’m getting bogged down in the detail of every part of the journey. My book mark hasn’t moved for a few weeks now and I’m still not even a third of the way through.
The House of Rumour by Jake Arnott
My favourite read this summer. A very clever novel spanning seven decades, using tarot cards as chapter themes. Larry Zagorski, a young science fiction writer in 1941, looks back on that crucial year and traces his place within a web which connects the Second World War, the Space Age, Rudolf Hess and Ian Fleming. A blurring of fact and fantasy. An intelligent read but well worth the effort. Dougie recommends this too and Rory might have a crack at it soon.
What books did you read this summer? Any recommendations?
Ooh – thank you – I'm always up for book recommendations. I'm currently reading Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, in advance of our bisit to India in October. Really good and v interesting (based on his own life) but a massive tome of a book and I don;t get much time to read any more (which means I usually nod off!). How do you get a boy to read? I'm so disappointed that my boy hardly reads at all now, having been a total bookworm when younger….
I gather it's quite common for boys to 'go off' reading in their teens. Like you, I was disappointed that my bookworm had disappeared. I'm not sure what we did differently this year but he did cut the cord with the computer now and again. Fingers crossed he will keep it up.
Ooh! Jake Arnott! I love his books and had no idea this was out – missed it until now. Thanks Trish!
Glad to be of service, Steve. I haven't read any of his before but Dougie has always been a fan.
Didn't Brad PItt appear in the Tibet film of the book? Loved Life of Pi (book).
Neither of my lads like reading. They read because they have to and as little as possible. I'm hoping they'll discover reading as a joy when they hit adulthood…
Yes he did. I hadn't heard of the film until we visited the museum.
You, me and Curry Queen need to form a support group!
I read a Bill Bryon – Home. Love his books always learn so much from them.
Totally agree. A big favourite of mine. You've reminded me, I have that book half-finished somewhere. I don't know what room I had reached!
I've read most except for the two middle ones. Like K Ville I loved Home, informative and so hilarious about the origins of living in one place. I don't fancy making a bed in the hay at night but they really did do that – on top of many mice…
I found my copy of 'Home' last night and it has a bookmark in so I can happily carry on from where I left off.
I'm wondering which two middle ones – the middle ones of my selection or the middle of the whole lot?
This has prompted me to do my own recommendations which I've been meaning to do for weeks. My favourite books of the summer were The Good Father by Noah Hawley, and Gone Girl although I was a bit confused by the ending. I've just bought The Hundred Year Old Man from a charity shop for 75p, looks brand new 🙂
Will have to look those two up and see what they're about. Hope you enjoy 100 Year Old Man. At that price, you're onto a winner!
Great recommendations, thank you! Reading "The Life of Pi" at the moment, but must admit that so far I am ambivalent…
While on holiday I read the "Hunger Games" trilogy as First Daughter was insistent and got hooked. Pretty grim in places though. Then I read two books in French, the latest from Marc Levy and Guillaume Musso, this has become kind of a summer habit! Finally, I read "The Summer House" by Santa Montefiore. Not my favourite of hers but enjoyed it all the same. xx
It's so interesting to hear what you have all been reading. Keep going until the end of Life of Pi and then see how you feel about it x
I've read a few of the books you listed, the 100 Year Old Man was my favorite, it reminded me of Forest Gump too, but funnier, thought it would be a good movie.
Oh you're right,it would be a great movie. I wonder if anyone has bought the rights and I wonder where they would find an accommodating elephant!
Some great ideas – I like the sound of Charlotte Street and the Jake Arnott particularly. My almost 14 year old is losing his reading bug a bit (competing with the X Box is hard) but he did get engrossed in the Michael Grant Books (one word titles like Gone, Light etc) and the Cherub series. All the teens I know are reading John Green's The Fault in Our Stars which I read too and loved.
I couldn't get on with Life of Pi – not sure why. My husband will read biographies (Danny Baker, Tracy Thorn, cycling Tour de France people) but not a massive fiction reader any more.
Some good ideas for Teen reads there, thanks Alison. Let's hope your teen doesn't give up on books just yet. I'm pleased that after a few lean years we seem to have an upturn!
Always always good to have some recs. Haven't heard of quite a few of those, although I am still working my way through The 100 Year old Man…
What do you think so far? Must admit I thought it was great at the beginning and then my concentration wavered a bit. But I'm glad I finished it.
That's a really useful way to do it. Might have to do a roundup of the ones Tim, Big and I have all read 🙂
I did enjoy bringing our summer collection together and it was good that we can share books now, each with our own opinion!