The Best Books to Read in the Sun

So, as it is absolutely lovely outside (sweltering inside) here is a list of some of my favourite books to read in the sunshine. That is if you have already finished (or have eschewed) Fifty Shades...

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is one of those perfect summer holiday reads. It is romantic and exciting, a book that spans many years of the most incredible (love her or hate her) protagonist, Scarlett O'Hara. If you are lucky enough to have some time off at the moment (student, clever person who booked off the right holiday week, or anyone else) and are looking for a fantastic (yes, it is long, but you've got a week in the sunshine) read, look no further!

If you aren't swooning for Rhett Butler by the end I will eat my hat!




This gorgeous bind-up from Mills & Boon was my top read last summer, as I sat tanning my legs in the rare beams of sunlight. Under Summer Skies by Nora Roberts is a combination of two classics: From This Day and Her Mother's Keeper. I can't tell you which one was better, they were both perfect for sitting around and daydreaming about being somewhere else!

A great book for when you can't bear anything too complicated, but are still looking for a bit of romance.

So, I have written about all the books in this series and I can highly recommend them! Incredibly well written by Meg Cabot, these books get better and better, ending with the incredible Missing You. 


Perfect for any teenage girl or anyone out there who enjoys teen fiction, these are fast-paced with a great heroine and a pretty hunky male lead! Being entertained while lying in the sun was never so easy!


Here Lies Bridget is another, for teens (but I am no longer a teen and I couldn't put it down) recommendation. It is funny, but also dark, poignant and desperately good. Bridget has always been popular, but when all of a sudden she starts to push things a little too far will her 'friends' stay by her side or has all of Bridget's bitchiness come back to haunt her?

By a fantastic new author Paige Harbison, MIRA totally know what they are doing and I am sure New Girl will be another firm favourite (was out in May 2012)!

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson is a real page-turner. I could hardly put the book down it was so addictive. When Christine wakes up every morning she thinks she is in her twenties, that she has gone home with some random older man and that she needs to sneak out before his wife finds out. That is until she looks into the mirror and sees herself, middle-aged and unfamiliar, but definitely still her. How did she get here? Every night her memories reset, Christine can only remember things for about 24 hours and then it is like nothing happened.

If you are looking for a crime thriller to keep you glued to the page then take this one out in the sun. I guarantee a fantastic suntan, just don't forget to put on sunscreen!

And finally, my favourite read in 2012: The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. It is absolutely the best thing! Read it anytime, but if you can, sit out all day with it, don't forget to hydrate! This is a book about books, a book about family, sisters, parents, your own life. It rolls everything is a book I wanted to fall into, a book I wanted to breath in!

Three very different sisters all end up home again to help their mother, but being all together again under one roof, the roles they used to play threaten to take over and the bonds of sisterhood are stretched...



So, those are my recommendations. If you want to add anything to this list or recommend something to me (I am always on the lookout for a great summer read!) please just let me know via twitter or comment below! Enjoy the British Summer...while it lasts!