Best Holiday Reading 2024
So into the last bit of room in your suitcase you’ve squeezed in sunglasses, phone charger, and a sunhat. But wait - there’s one small space left - and it looks to be about the size of a book (or e-reader). But which to pack? Here are a few of the best holiday reading suggestions for 2024, and I’ll try to include a range of genres.
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Saltblood by Francesca De Tores
‘Saltblood’ by Francesca De Tores is a rip roaring nautical epic set on the high seas. It’s based on the remarkable true story of Mary Read, who joins the navy, the cavalry and eventually as a pirate in the carribean - all as a woman, pretending to be a man. Airport queues will be no bother to ye if you’ve your head stuck in this beauty.
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Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
I love a good small town thriller as a holiday read and ‘Wild Houses’ by Colin Barrett ticks all the boxes. Set in the West of Ireland over a weekend, it’s a story of claustrophobia, drugs, violence and family feuds. Compelling, with momments of humour, definitely a bit darker than some of the others on the list.
Lucy Foley is known for her bestselling whodunnits, and this zippy thriller set in a health spa on the Dorset Coast is a perfect 2024 holiday read. This is just plain good fun, switching between some likeable and thoroughly unpleasant characters, keeping you guessing to the end. And what’s that lurking in the woods…?
Quickly, While They Still Have Horses by Jan Carson
‘Quickly, While They Still Have Horses’ by Jan Carson makes the best holiday reading for 2024 list because short stories make the perfect summer sunny companion; Dip into them same as you do into the pool, consuming them in small bites, just like the tapas (enough now, Adrian). These are often dark, absurd, funny and moving - and always entertaining. Something for everyone in this stellar collection.
The Heart in Winter - Kevin Barry
I know, these are meant to beach reads - what’s a book with winter in the title doing here? Well, Kevin Barry’s ‘A Heart in Winter’ deserves to be read in any season - a sort of Irish Western, set in Butte, Montana in 1881. Two lovers escape across an inhospitable landscape, pursued by bounty hunters, in a lyrical, vivid and engrossing novel, full of humour and life.
Long Island by Colm Tóibín.
Although a hardback, it’s worth making space in your luggage for ‘Long Island’ by Colm Tóibín. Or keep in your hand luggage, as you mightn’t want to put this down. This is the follow up to the bestselling ‘Brooklyn’ and we meet up Eilis again, 20 years on. Will she go back to her past life?As moving, captivating immersive as the first book, this is a great holiday read to lose yourself in. Like meeting up with and old friend again.
The God of the Woods - Liz Moore
This is an odd one to include on the list, because it’s only out, and I’m halfway through it BUT I can’t put this down. If it was my holiday book, I’d probably never lift my head until I needed to come up for air. It’s set in Adirondack summer camp in 1975, when one of the campers goes missing, a repeat of an incident some years earlier. This is a literary thriller, a riveting family drama. I need to finish this blog post to get back to it. This is one you’ll be hearing a lot more about.
You Like it Darker - Stephen King
Audiobooks are great to listen to as holiday reads, lounging around in the sunshine with a nice glass of something within easy reach. What better company than the Master Storyteller himself, Stephen King with ‘You like it darker’, his latest collection of short stories. At over 20 hours long, this should keep you going for the length of your trip. There’s no world like the world of a Stephen King Story, and each of this is memorable - horror, supernatural and sci-fi - it’s all in here. Even better, Bill Paxton is the perfect narrator, pulling you into these characters. Some of these stories will stay with you, long after you holiday is over.