Top Ten Tuesday: Ten books that will be in my beach bag this summer

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is ten books that will be in my beach bag this summer. It’s quite similar to the topic a couple of weeks later, Top ten books on my summer TBR list, so this is really part one of that list. I have so many books to read that I could probably make 50 different versions of that list!

For this list I’ve looked through my TBR pile and tried to pick lighter, fluffier books which I am more likely to consider to be beach reads. Plus, they have to be physical books I own because I wouldn’t risk taking an e-reader onto a beach!

1. Broken Homes – Ben Aaronovitch I’ve read the other three books in this series and can’t wait to get stuck into the next one.

2. Eleanor and Park – Rainbow Rowell I bought this after seeing so many rave reviews on blogs and thought I’d give it a go.

3. The Book of You – Claire Kendal My first GoodReads First Reads win!

4. Half Bad – Sally Green I heard about this on Simon Mayo’s Radio 2 book club a few months ago and picked up a signed copy at the Hay Festival on Saturday.

5. The Lucky One – Nicholas Sparks I’ve got a pile of Sparks books which I’m planning to read ahead of a trip to North Carolina later this year. Perfect fluffy holiday reading.

6. The Shoemaker’s Wife – Adriana Trigiani My aunt bought this for me for Christmas 2012, I’ve been meaning to read it ever since but the writing is reeeeally small.

7. A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness Another book I’ve been meaning to read forever. I love Patrick Ness so I don’t know why I haven’t read this yet.

8. Boy’s Don’t Cry – Malorie Blackman I bought this at Hay last year and really should get around to reading it.

9. Ship Breaker – Paolo Bacigalupi I bought this for my husband for Christmas after hearing it reviewed on The Enthusiasticast.

10. Sizzling Sixteen -Janet Evanovich I picked this up cheaply at a library sale. Total mindless fluff, ideal for the beach!

Have you read any of these books? Which should I read first? Share your thoughts and links to your top ten list below!

List 5: Holiday reads

I’ve just got back from a lovely relaxing 10 day break in Menorca where I spent lots of time reading by the pool. This got me thinking about great books I’ve read on previous travels, so here’s my list of the best books I first read while on holiday.

List Number Five: The ten best books I first read on holiday (in chronological order)

• The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. Read on a week in Loch Rannoch in Scotland in 2001.
• The Cider House Rules by John Irving. Read in California while on a year travelling around the world in 2002. Possibly my favourite book of all time.
• True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. Read in Perth, Australia while travelling around the world in 2003. Another candidate for my favourite ever book!
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Read on a long weekend in Bodelwyddan, North Wales in 2004.
• Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. Read on a family week away in Lincoln in 2008.
• Guernica by Dave Boling. Read in New Zealand in 2009.
• The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. Read on the same trip around New Zealand in 2009.
• The Brutal Art by Jesse Kellerman. Read on a very hot trip to Avignon in France in 2010.
• Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Read on a road trip around Colorado in 2011.
• The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Read last week in Menorca!

Do you save books to read on holiday, or pick particular genres to read while you’re away?