Holiday Reading List

I'm a geek and that means one of my favourite things to do while on holiday is read. When I was younger, a large chunk of my holiday bag was taken up with 3 or 4 books. Now, thanks to my lovely friends in the DSHS Eng Department, I only need to pack my kindle and have hundreds of book choices for holidays.

Before going on holiday during the last term of school, I'd recently managed to read...

The Hobbit was a re-read and I really enjoyed it! It was so cosy and English with all that Hobbit baking and eating. I especially liked the description of Bilbo on his horse, hood pulled up against the rain as he began his adventure. 

The others were all good, but no real outstanding reads. I enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy. Not a huge fan of Storm Front though. 

So, my holiday reading was...

One for the Money - Four to Score

I read the first four of these Janet Evanovich books after Mum recommended them to me. They're laugh out loud funny and follow the life of Stephanie Plum, a bond enforcement agent, who somehow manages to have things all work out in the end even though her cars get blown up, Grandma gets in the way and she always eats fast food. A series of trashy but addictive rom-com books.

Faithful Place

Recommended by a colleague at work and set in Ireland. This is a crime/mystery about a girl who went missing 20 years ago and how the community cope with new evidence about her disappearance. Compelling throughout but a weaker ending. Still worth a read.

A Bad Beginning

Always one to enjoy children's books, I thought I'd try this. It was ok, but nothing special. Back to HP and Phillip Pullman for me!

The Giver

Set in a futuristic, dystopian society this is about a young boy who is growing up and discovering things about his sheltered world. Ok for a quick read but not a seminal novel for dystopia. 

Eclectic Sheep that Androids Never Dream Of

A series of short science fiction stories but my very talented uncle Bob Lock. They're quirky, thought provoking and funny. Definitely worth a read - you can get it on Smashwords. 

The Earth Hums in B Flat

Such a pretty name and book cover! This is set in Wales and is about an imaginative little girl growing up and not quite understanding the things going on around her. I really liked the way she views the world. 

The Godfather

By far one of the best books holiday reads I've had in a while. It drags you into the story and the epic, dynastic feel definitely makes it a keeper. And makes you want to eat Italian tomato sauce with fresh bread.

Not bad for two weeks! I'll keep you updated on any more reads!

And the award for the biggest disappointment goes to...

I really liked the first one, Feed. But this was atrocious. I don't know whether it was because I listened to it on audiobook so the characters had horrifically cheesy American accents, or because of the terrible inner dialogues along the lines of 'Goddamit, I miss her. Miss her so goddam much. Damn. It hurts. I miss her.' Add that to breathy, over acting and you've got a nightmare. Such a shame.