The 6 Fantastic Books I Read on Vacation

Hello! I’m back from vacation and ready to blog again. Wow, it’s been a while, but I had a fantastic time away and it was so much fun to spend a month with my sister, in London (where she lives) and Italy. Also, it was amazing to get to enjoy a summer holiday right in the middle of our long Auckland winter.

Anyway, I had loads of time to relax while on holiday and I ended up reading six books while I was away. It was heaven! So I thought I’d put together a blog post to share what I read – because they were all pretty amazing reads.  And you might be looking for some book recommendations.  Here goes:

The 6 Fantastic Books I Read on Vacation

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is labelled an unrepenting aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal and sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. This happens at the time when Imperial Russia was transforming into a communist state, with the Bolsheviks taking control of the government. The book covers much Russian history throughout this compelling story. It sets a rich background for the ultimately heart-warming emotional journey of Rostov at this time.

This book. Wow. It was recommended on a Goodreads list and I’d seen it mentioned elsewhere too (being a bestseller), so I promptly downloaded it. And I will admit that I took a while to get into it, but when I did, I couldn’t put it down. It’s the kind of book that stays with you for a long time after you’ve finished it. The style of writing, the story’s rhythm, the history – brought together in a clever, incredibly memorable tale. Highly recommend.

Calypso by David Sedaris

I love David Sedaris’s books. He has a great sense of humour which he (highly) successfully manages to relay in his writing. This book covers his observations regarding middle age and mortality and there are many laugh-out-loud moments on these pages. When I read the synopsis for this book and it mentioned middle age, I knew I had to read it. And I’m so glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Recommend.

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

The age-old story of the tricky relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law is ultimately what this book is about. However, when the mother-in-law, Diana, is found dead, leaving a suicide note, and the autopsy reveals that she was suffocated, the plot thickens! All of the family relationships are then investigated. But inevitably the relationship between Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana, comes under the spotlight.

This one kept me riveted and I enjoyed how the story unfolded, examining family relationships, past and present. Not what I’d initially thought it would be about, but even better. Recommend.

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

My sister recommended this book, saying it would be a good holiday read. And it certainly was!

This is a collection of short stories which is always a good format for a holiday read, in my opinion. I read this one next to the pool at the villa we had rented in Tuscany. Bliss. It includes stories that deal with “questionable decisions, missed connections and sometimes extraordinary coincidences that make up life” (Goodreads). Curtis Sittenfeld writes what we’re all thinking, ultimately. The stories are engrossing, sometimes uncomfortable but most enjoyable. Recommend.

Related: 5 Brilliant Books You Need to Read

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

This debut novel, written by an Arab-American woman, details the lives of conservative Arab women living in America. It tells the story of Deya and her mother, Isra – alternating between their lives at the same age and beyond, delving into their similar experiences and what Arab women often have to deal with. I must admit that this book made me incredibly sad and brought on feelings of quiet rage on behalf of these women. It’s a profound story, one that should be read. Highly recommend.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

I’d also seen this book recommended a lot, so I thought I’d give it a go. It tells the story of Connell and Marianne, who meet as teenagers at school. His mother is a cleaner at her family home and despite being from different walks of life, they strike up a relationship of sorts. A year later they are both studying at the same university and bump into each other again. They are drawn to each other, but there is always some reason that their relationship is doomed. Sally Rooney explores and describes the subtleties of class, first love and the complexities of family and friendship, resulting in a wonderful story which oozes authenticity and realness. I loved this one. Highly recommend.

Related: Here Are The 7 Books About Midlife That I Want to Read

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