Holiday reading
Throughout Europe and the US, the massed hordes are escaping the ever gloomier economic news for a couple of well-earned weeks at the beach. For many this will represent the best chance of the year to spend some quality time with a book, and therefore in the spirit of public service, Material Witness is offering its summer beach recommendations.
As I did at Christmas I will be offering two lists: those I recommend to others, and those I'll be taking along myself.
Today's offering is my own reading list. Given that the blog demands that I subordinate other reading I enjoy to the imperative of reading sufficient crime fiction to keep the blog lively, I have generously awarded myself half a holiday from crime and mystery fiction, and will mix some other stuff in.
I will be reading
The Resurrectionist by James Bradley - Not exactly a diversion from crime as this is described as a "gothic thriller", but it looks like a good engaging holiday read. I have a pretty good hit rate with Richard and Judy books, having read precisely one (that I know of - although it was before the R&J recommendation) and really liked it. This one fell from the same tree apparently.
The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks - Having just listened to the audio version of Bernard Cornwell's The Bloody Ground, a fictional account of the battle of Antietam, I am now in the midst of one of my periodic bouts of intense interest in the US Civil War. So I did a Google search for Civil War novels and this one looked the most interesting.
The Treatment by Mo Hayder - Birdman, Hayder's extraordinary debut novel, is one of the most compelling novels I have read this year, and I am keeping a promise to myself to go back to the second Jack Caffery book in the series. Call this a busman's holiday, given that this is seroius crime fiction.
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian - As noted in a recent post, I am a big fan of the American writer, and have never been able to understand why he has no profile, and apparently no publisher, in the UK. This book covers new ground for him, however, as it is set in Europe - previous books have all been set in New York/New England - and it appears this may be the international impetus he needs. I note his website says that rights for this book have been sold in the UK as well as Italy, Poland and Spain.
The Legend of Colton H. Bryant by Alexandra Fuller - I don't know a whole hell of a lot about this book, except that it tells the true and tragic story of a young Wyoming man killed in the modern oil rush in the state. But it comes so highly recommended by a friend who is an exceptional judge of literature that I can't ignore it.
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick - I bought this book at Logan Airport in Boston in November and never got around to reading it. But I loved Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea and this should help fill in one of the many eras in American history I know too little of.
That's it. Just six. The optimist in me will pack a couple more just in case, but I suspect I'll do well to get through those. On the last major holiday I went on before getting married and having children I read eight books in seven lazy days, but there's little prospect of that sort of peace and quiet.
Later this week, thriller recommendations for your holiday.
