# What should I read on vacation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450 "2009-06-11T15:15:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/1 "2009-06-11T15:15:24Z")
Ivylad and I will be going [here](http://www.casamarinaresort.com/?src=ppc_google_brandlocal) in nine days (can’t wait!) and he wants to make a bookstore run before we go. Nothing heavy, and I’m not into Harelequin romance bodice rippers. A good mystery would be nice. Fiction only…I don’t want to think too much while we celebrate our 20th. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/2 "2009-06-11T15:20:41Z")
Well there’s this book called _Outlander_ … oh, wait, nevermind. 😃 You might look at _A Vision of Light_ by Judith Merkle Riley. When I read _Outlander_ I was vaguely reminded of this book, and I think Gabaldon has it on her [Methadone List](http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/excerpts/companion/toc_methadonelist.html). ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/3 "2009-06-11T15:24:03Z")
I usually try to read heavy novels (a subject for some other thread), but last vacation, I found the following 2 books very relaxing: **No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency** by Alexander McCall Smith Anything by **P. G. Wodehouse** (I think I actually read **Damsel in Distress** ) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/4 "2009-06-11T16:13:43Z")
Oh, **Claire** , you know me so well. Sept 22! (Yes, I will keep reminding everyone of the date.) I actually found Gabaldon from the Jean Auel _Earthchildren_ Methadone List. Funny, huh? I’ve never read Wodehouse…I might have to go hunting for him (her?) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/5 "2009-06-11T16:20:56Z")
Trying to think of stuff that’ll be in bookstores as opposed to Amazon. _The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society_ isn’t really a mystery but it’s a good vacation read, I think. It’s an epistolary novel about happenings on Guernsey during WWII. _The Little Stranger_ by Sarah Waters is a delicious haunted house story. _Serena_ by Ron Rash is a real page-turner about an evil woman (think Rhoda from _Bad Seed_ all grown up – it should be out in paperback by now. If your heart’s set on a mystery, you can’t go wrong with James Lee Burke, John Connolly, Michael Connelly, Rennie Airth, Greg Iles, Andrew Pyper – depends on how dark you want to get. Have fun on your trip! ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/6 "2009-06-11T16:34:35Z")
How about some breezy reading? Try _Can You Keep A Secret?_ by Sophie Kinsella - it’s about a British woman who has a really bad day ending with her having a total meltdown with a perfect stranger. Only - well - he doesn’t end up being a total stranger. This book had me laughing out loud. Not Harlequin - more Bridget Jones. Of course, I also love Anna Maxted: \* Running in Heels \*is a good introduction. How a girl copes with her best friend getting married while her life is all a mess. And then there is the Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross. _Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind_ is the first one. Imagine being a proper southern lady, well respected in the community, and then having your husband die suddenly, leaving you in charge of his previously carefully guarded fortune. And his mistress dropping off his illegitimate offspring on your front doorstep the next day and disappearing! I guess, when I’m on vacation, I like to keep it lighthearted. Hope that helps! ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/7 "2009-06-11T16:42:19Z")
I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, a memoir by Giulia Melucci, rather short , but with Sicilian recipes. This is an old, Old, OLD story - well-off single gal living a busy and interesting life in NYC but can’t find a man who will commit. This is a collection of stories about the various losers she dated, and cooked for, and is very entertaining; the recipes sound easy and very good! ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/8 "2009-06-11T16:48:05Z")
Last year on vacation, I read “The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax.” It’s about a retired widow who joins the CIA. It’s not great lit, but it’s cute, fun, and an easy read: perfect for lounging with in the sun. I also like to read Stephen King on vacation. For me, he’s kind of like junk food for the mind. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/9 "2009-06-11T17:36:57Z")
I’ve read all the Stephen King I want, and have no desire to reread everything of his, mainly because I’ve reread to death the ones I like. I’m looking for something new. These are great suggestions, guys…thanks! Keep 'em coming! I plan to keep a journal while we’re down there, because we won’t have access to a computer. So if you wonder where I got to for two weeks, that’s why! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/10 "2009-06-11T17:46:10Z")
A mystery, eh? How about some Sherlock Holmes stories? I’d suggest “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” “The Norwood Builder,” “Silver Blaze,” “The Red-Headed League,” “The Blue Carbuncle,” “The Greek Interpreter,” “The Musgrave Ritual” and “The Speckled Band,” to start. June Thomson has also written some wonderful Holmes pastiches that are as good as the best of Conan Doyle. Begin with _The Secret Files of Sherlock Holmes_. Or consider: _In the Lake of the Woods_ by Tim O’Brien - a creepy, Vietnam-influenced mystery _Everybody Smokes in Hell_ by John Ridley - scabrously funny novel about a suicidal rock star and a beautiful assassin _My Dark Places_ by James Ellroy - nonfiction; the author investigates the murder of his own mother _Fatherland_ by Robert Harris - convincing, chilling alt-history about a murder investigation in 1964 Nazi Germany ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/11 "2009-06-11T17:47:12Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > I usually try to read heavy novels (a subject for some other thread), but last vacation, I found the following 2 books very relaxing: > > **No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency** by Alexander McCall Smith > > Anything by **P. G. Wodehouse** (I think I actually read **Damsel in Distress** ) Both good suggestions. Have you read Rumpole? I find John Mortimer’s Rumpole stories to be reliable light entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/12 "2009-06-11T18:12:35Z")
Historical murder mysteries: _Dissolution_, C.J. Sansom (Tudor England) _Silver Pigs_, Lindsey Davis (ancient Rome, and it’s funny) _Death Comes As Epiphany_, Sharan Newman (medieval France) Silliness: Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books, starts with _One for the Money_ Paranormal murder mystery: _Dead Until Dark_, Charlaine Harris Have you read Connie Willis? _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ is a very funny novel about time travel to Victorian England. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/13 "2009-06-11T19:42:06Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Oh, **Claire** , you know me so well. Sept 22! (Yes, I will keep reminding everyone of the date.) I know, I’m wiggly with glee. 😃 One thing I do leading up to a new book is re-read at least the previous book. I’ve recently gotten into audiobooks for the first time, so now that most of the series is available unabridged, I’m LISTENING to them, starting from the beginning. Our library has a newfangled digital audio book thingy available called Playaway, so you’re not tied to a CD player. Pretty cool, although the reader’s character voices don’t sound the way the characters sound in my head when I’m reading. I’m currently in the middle of _Voyager_. As for the Stephanie Plum series – I second. Light, funny mystery stories. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/14 "2009-06-11T20:08:30Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Oh, **Claire** , you know me so well. Sept 22! (Yes, I will keep reminding everyone of the date.) I can’t wait! I’ll need to re-read at least _A Breath of Snow and Ashes_ before then. **Claire** , \*Voyager \*is probably my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/15 "2009-06-11T20:28:19Z")
Oh, yes, the scene where she walks into the print shop…that makes me melt into a puddle of goo every single time. Sigh. I’m bookmarking this thread so I’ll have it handy when it’s time to hit the bookstore. Thanks, guys!! ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/16 "2009-06-11T20:40:44Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > **Claire** , \*Voyager \*is probably my favorite. > [@ivylass](#): > > Oh, yes, the scene where she walks into the print shop…that makes me melt into a puddle of goo every single time. In a lot of ways it is mine, too. I think there are places where Gabaldon’s patchwork quilt style of writing starts to show its seams, and I generally dislike her penchant for bringing people back from the dead in subsequent books. (I don’t know how to do a spoiler box so I’ll just leave it at that.) But, there are a lot of things about _Voyager_ that are near and dear to my heart, the print shop scene being chief among them. 😃 “I thought I’d pissed myself.” heh I definitely love the first trilogy above what came after, although I thought _Breath_ was a nice effort and felt more like the first trilogy. I rarely re-read _Drums_. There are things I like about _Fiery Cross_ but things that irritate me. I love _Outlander_ because it was the first, and because it’s so surprising. Overall though, put a gun to my head, I might have to say that _Dragonfly_ is my very favorite. Hard to choose. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/17 "2009-06-11T20:47:34Z")
To me, _Watership Down_ is the perfect summer read. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-read-on-vacation/499450/18 "2009-06-11T21:19:34Z")
Someone above mentioned mysteries, and so I must add **The Red House Mystery** by A. A. Milne (yes, the author of Winnie-ther-pooh) It is the best whodunit I’ve ever read.