The summer holidays are the perfect time to kick back with a beverage and a book. Stake out a comfy chair, crank up the air con and settle in for some hedonistic page turners.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman<br /> This book is the surprise smash hit of 2018. The story follows Eleanor Oliphant, a closet alcoholic whose life is going nowhere fast. Everything starts to shift when she witnesses an accident and is drawn into a friendship with a colleague. The profoundly dysfunctional Eleanor starts to see a way out of her lonely existence - but not before she has to deal with her abusive mother. This funny, moving tale is guaranteed to surprise you with its plot twists.
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Liane Moriarty is arguably the queen of the summer read. She writes the Australian female psyche better than anyone else and her latest offering is no exception. The story follows nine strangers’ experiences at Tranquillum House, a remote health spa that utilises unconventional healing techniques. Alliances form, dark secrets are revealed and lives are changed forever.
The Land Before Avocado by Richard Glover
In his latest book, Richard Glover shares some of the alarming facts of life growing up in the Australia of the 1960s and 70s. The premise is that the Australia of the past was not the ‘good old days’. Instead, it was a country divided by misogyny, racism and homophobia. Glover details the toxic quirks of the law, politics and social norms of that era to highlight how far things have come and how good we have it now. Sometimes funny, sometimes deeply troubling, and always interesting.
Letter from Paris by Louisa Deasey
Like so many people who have lost parents at a young age, author Louisa Deasey has always wondered what her father was really like. She grew up believing he was a ‘failure and a dilettante’ but a Facebook message from a woman in Paris is the key that starts to unlock doors from London to the South of France, from The State Library of Victoria to the National Gallery. It turns out Louisa’s father was anything but a loser and Letter from Paris shares Louisa’s journey towards meeting the real Denison Deasey.
The Chalk Man by C.J.Tudor
This book is an unashamedly trashy mystery thriller. Set in a small English village, the plot jumps between the past and the present for a group of friends who found a body in the forest when they were kids. While someone was accused of the murder, no one was ever convicted and renewed interest in the case leads to another mysterious death. Slightly schlocky and enjoyably suspenseful, this is good inflight reading.
What are you reading this summer?
