Excitingly I am off on holiday tomorrow to Cyprus for a week of sun, sea, sand, ruins, cocktails and much reading on sun loungers (if the weather is to be believed) or the balcony. I cannot wait, this is my first holiday ‘not doing anything’ in three years and the prospect of just reading, mooching about, paddling and swimming is a little bit too joyful. What isn’t joyful however is deciding what on earth to pack book-wise. As many of you will know I loathe my Kindle Fire with a passion (the glare, the lack of pages, etc, I have tried I really have) so books is the only way. After many painstaking hours I have come up with a shortlist, which is 21 books long and takes up the entirety of one case. So I need your help to whittle it down so I can actually fit some clothes in. Here are the choices…
- The Versions of Us – Laura Barnett
- The Sellout – Paul Beatty
- Black Water – Louise Doughty
- The Danish Girl – David Ebershoff
- The Fair Fight – Anna Freeman
- Our Endless Numbered Days – Claire Fuller
- The Girl in the Red Coat – Kate Hamer
- The Ship – Antonia Honeywell
- Moriarty – Anthony Horowitz
- The Loney – Andrew Michael Hurley
- Human Acts – Han Kang
- Disclaimer – Renee Knight
- A Reunion of Ghosts – Judith Claire Mitchell
- This Must Be The Place – Maggie O’Farrell
- The Illuminations – Andrew O’Hagan
- Anatomy of a Soldier – Harry Parker
- Merciless Gods – Christos Tsiolkas
- The Good Liar – Nicholas Searle
- Gold Flame Citrus – Claire Vaye Watkins
- A Lovely Way To Burn – Louise Welsh
- A Year of Marvellous Ways – Sarah Winman
So which of these have you read and, without giving any spoilers away, what did you make of them? I will then check your answers before I leave and pick seven, maybe 8 (as the flight is 5 hours each way, notice the excuses start creeping in) for the trip. Now I better sort out my pants and other attire, thanks in advance.