Trashy Reads...

So, summer is upon us and although kids may be getting ready to get back to school, some of you may still have beach holidays to look forward to...a weekend away or, hopefully, just a little more time to indulge in some reading.

Now what books might keep you entertained as you lie on the beach or by the pool, soaking up the sun under (hopefully) warm blue skies? Well it has to be trash doesn't it. No one wants to be holding their hardback 'Complete works of Dickens' in one hand and sun tan lotion in the other. So here are a few suggestions...they're not quite as disposable as Jilly Cooper novels but if you forget your copy in a restaurant or at the airport, you won't be kicking yourself.


10 - Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.  A snowy epic. Now I know you've seen the film but it doesn't count. But if you have seen the film, Lara's theme resounding in your head as you read, makes a great accompaniment to this big fat novel.

9 - Emma by Jane Austen.  Alright so I said it would be a trashy list but I honestly believe that you can't get trashier and more chick lit than Jane Austen. She's the forerunner of them all and the best of the lot - in this novel you get a lot of bang for your buck: a love story, the 19th century version of blind dates and set ups, a rites of passage story and a little bit of old fashioned morality thrown in for good measure.

8 - Beloved by Toni Morrison. Huh? Okay, it's not an easy read but this is a book which is about power, poetry and injustice and really, it should be on any list of books to read before you die. Don't be scared of it - let the language sweep you away and you will be transported.

7 - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.  You won't be able to put this one down. It's gripping stuff with haunting English locations and a protagonist who remains unnamed (how curious!). Not just that, she's a real mess of insecurity and it makes me feel better to know I'm not the only wreck around here.

6 - The Hope Chest by Rukhsana Ahmad. Expand your horizons with this one. This story crosses from London to Pakistan and will give you an insight into women's lives in other worlds. Not so different, in many ways, from our own. An absolute must.

5- I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.  It's a little teen, I admit but  if you are a mother, aunt or friend to a teen, this might be one you can read together. It's absorbing, insightful and a really honest account of those first feelings of love and oh god, unrequited love! Every teen should relate and if you're not a teen...it'll take you back in time.

4 - Short stories by Edgar Allen Poe. So this isn't really a read for any list so I thought I might as well stick it here as anywhere else. These stories are full of darkness, Mr Poe's strange anxieties about being buried alive and his obsession with girlfriends long deceased. Having said that, the short story form is the perfect form for our time - being, well, short. And sometimes...a little bit of contrast is what you need when you're stuck in some paradisal landscape. This is what to read when the sea starts to look really boring.

3 - The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Now this book has it all. An impossible love story, a crazy structure and endless musical references. It takes time to work out what the hell's going on  what with all the 'Back to the Future' antics but  you will get it if I did. Eventually.

2- Metamorphosis by Ovid.  Don't abandon me now Reader - I know it's old and Roman and stuff but I'm not asking you to read it in Latin or anything. There are some gorgeous stories in here. Beautiful, lyrical and really rather magical and, if you're holidaying in Europe, you will feel like you're being very 'when in Rome' on your vacation. These are also stories that you'll love narrating to your kids when they ask you those questions like why the sun rises and disappears each day.  Give it a go. You will thank me.

1 - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I know, I know....I said no Dickens but what the Dickens did you expect? No book list is complete without a good old fashioned mystery story, brimming with childhood adventure, convicts, love and just about the best character names in history. These were bestsellers when the man was alive and the reason for it is simple - it's a gripping saga. And once you're read it, treat yourself to the old black and white film made by the late, great David Lean. The kids will love it too.

So, Reader, there it is - okay, it wasn't really trashy but I knew you would give me an exhausted sigh if i had called it 'worthy reading list' and to be honest if trashy stands for gripping, surprising and enjoyable - you'll get that from any of the books named above. And there is something really pleasurable about nurturing your mind as you allow your body to be nurtured with rest. Enjoy!