Summer reading recommendations. At this time of year every newspaper, magazine and blog is full of them. Most recommendation pages are full of the same old recommendees proposing the same old titles - something which does nothing to inspire the reader.

There are a few blogs, however, like Scott Pack's Me and My Big Mouth or Vulpes Libris who consistently manage a steady stream of quality multi-genre suggestions.

And here in the Gallic Books office we are always recommending books to one another. Some are taken onboard and some are rejected. And with a few of us taking our summer holidays this month we thought we'd enter into the spirit and take the opportunity to let each other know our (three and a bit) summer reading choices.

So whether you don't know what to pick up at the airport or are struggling to fit Stieg Larsson's trilogy into your carry-on luggage and are looking for a replacement, then look no further. Here's what we recommend...

Do you agree with us? Are you surprised by our choices? Have we missed any obvious ones? Or are we all just a little bit boring? Let us know by using the comments box at the bottom of the page...only if you don't think we're boring.


Jane Aitken



1) The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim - Jonathan Coe

I’ve enjoyed all the other Jonathan Coe books I’ve read, especially The Rotter’s Club, which is  so evocative of the 70’s (alas the decade I came of age in). I also liked Viking’s description of the book as ‘reinventing the picaresque novel for our time’.

2) When the Lights Went Out - Andy Beckett

I want to read this one for its analysis of what really happened politically in the Heath, Callaghan and Thatcher years. The decade, with its financial crises and industrial confrontations, seems to have set the political narrative that still applies today.

3) The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver

This is our bookclub read for September, and I’ve always wanted to read ‘The Poisonwood Bible’ which I will now get round to.

3.5) I’m also attempting to read all of Proust but have only ever managed ‘Du Côté de Chez Swann’. So I’ll try to get to ‘À l'ombre des Jeunes Filles en Fleurs’.

Guy Ramage



1) The Summer Book - Tove  Jansson

I’ve been recommended this for holiday reading more than any other book. Plus the Moomin stories were great.

2) A Book of Silence - Sara Maitland

A meditation on the healing nature of silence, an intriguing antidote to modern life.

3) Ordinary Thunderstorms - William Boyd

One of my favourite writers and recommended by half the office!

Pilar Webb



1) The Leopard - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

I’ve read very little Italian fiction and think this would be an interesting place to start.

2) Any Human Heart - William Boyd

Boyd is a brilliant writer. That's all I can say.

3) Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

It's about time!

Alison Savage



1) The Perfect Summer - Juliet Nicolson

I’ve picked this up on the recommendation of Guy (Ramage; see above). I love a bit of that Edwardian, end-of-an-era stuff.

2)  At Home: A Short History of Private Life - Bill Bryson

Anything by Bill Bryson is both amusing and informative.

3) Madresfield: One House, One Family, One Thousand Years - Jane Mulvagh

Anything Waugh or Brideshead related must be read!

Alison Wood



1) Alex's Adventures in Numberland – Alex Bellos

I bought this for my daughter who is considering studying maths at university and it looks really interesting so think I'll give it a go myself.

2) Open – Andre Agassi

I'm a big tennis fan and always thought Agassi was more interesting than some of the other players. I’m looking forward to reading what he has to say about life on the tour, and also to getting an insight into player psyches.

3) What Would I Be Without You – Guillaume Musso

I can’t wait for the manuscript of this French bestseller which is the Gallic Books superlead for 2011. I’ve heard so much about it. Sadly my French isn’t up to reading the original...

Svein Clouston



1) Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea - Barbara Demick

I’m a big fan of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction and this won the award in 2010. I’ve already started this and it is a riveting read.

2) Death and the Penguin - Andrey Kurkov

Richard Reynolds at Heffers in Cambridge recently recommended this to one of our authors, Francois Lelord. The premise sounded ridiculous (A black comedy crime thriller in which the main protagonist owns a pet penguin) but i’m looking forward to it.

3) Waiting for the Evening News: Stories of the Deep South - Tim Gautreaux

I loved Gautreaux’s previous novel ‘The Missing’ and get a real kick out of short stories. This collection won’t disappoint.