Best Holiday Reads Ever

31 amazing books for the beach, pool, balcony - or just lying on your hotel bed. Go on, treat yourself.

A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

If the TV version wasn't enough for you take yourself back to Westeros and the Wall and lose yourself dreaming of Jon Snow, Danaerys Stormborn, Tyrian Llanister and the rest of this epic trilogy's extraordinary cast of characters and creatures. Enjoy.

A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

If the TV version wasn't enough for you take yourself back to Westeros and the Wall and lose yourself dreaming of Jon Snow, Danaerys Stormborn, Tyrian Llanister and the rest of this epic trilogy's extraordinary cast of characters and creatures. Enjoy.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Beginning as a teenage lovestory set in dictator-run Lagos, this literary yet readable novel branches out across continents to London and, of course, the America of the title. An intelligent love story

Atonement by Ian McEwan

It's 1934 - a baking hot summer in an English country house. Something terrible happens - but what was it, really? The events and misinterpretations of what happens that day reverberate across the years ruining lives and creating an unbearable burden of guilt. Perfect McEwan.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

We all know her. We all love her. We've done the book, seen the film, got the t-shirt. But that doesn't mean that we don't want to read about hapless Bridget, sexy Daniel Cleaver and fabulous Mark Darcy just one more time.

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey

The star of 30 Rock, Mean Girls and 'Sarah Palin', Tina Fey invites us along her journey from eccentric childhood through one-sided romance to the hallows of Saturday Night Live and the glorious life of comedy that awaited her. Yep, she's funny.

Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel

It's 1535, Thomas Cromwell is at the peak of power in the court of King Henry VIII. But there's no spoilers in saying this story doesn't end well for Anne Boleyn, the queen. Where will that leave Cromwell? Epic.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres.jpg

If you haven't read this before you will soon become one of the millions who have shed tears to this beautiful story of love and war, set in 1941 on the Greek island of Cephalonia. Unforgettable.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

This comic depiction of life in rural England in the early twentieth century, seen through the eyes of Flora Poste, orphaned aged 19 and sent to live with her extremely unusual relatives in East Sussex, will make you cry with laughter.

Close Range by Annie Proulx

Annie Proulx's Wyoming short stories are written with heartbreaking beauty and are a total joy to read. This collection includes the original story of Brokeback Mountain, which became Ang Lee's moving film.

Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh

Paul Pennyfeather, unfairly sent down from Oxford in disgrace, becomes a schoolmaster at Llanaba Castle, a distinctly second rate public school. There follows a riotous, hilarious farce filled with dodgy butlers, violent teachers - and the glamorous socialite Lady Metroland. Hilarious.

Emma by Jane Austen

Even if you did it for A'Level it won't have put you off this perfect Austen, the story of handsome, clever, rich Emma Woodhouse - and the divinely wise Mr Knightley.

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

Oh go on. Everyone else has read it so you might as well. And if you can't enjoy a bit of filth on holiday, when can you?

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

This high Victoriana tale of London pickpockets, asylums and hidden worlds will have you up reading all night. Seriously.

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

The true story of a marriage breakup from the pen of the late, great Nora Ephron - screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. Irresistible.

How To Build A Girl by Caitlin Moran

From leg waxing to pants and masturbation - Caitlyn Moran's got it all covered here. And as she's one of the best writers on feminism today, it's a must read.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Moyes's bestselling book so far, currently in production for a movie starring Emilia Clarke.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A young bride arrives at Manderley, the estate of her new husband, to find traces of first wife, the beautiful Rebecca, at every turn. A hugely popular dark tale of love, death and jealousy first published in 1938 and reprinted several times. You'll want to read it again and again.

Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich

Meet Stephanie Plum, the Lycra clad, doughnut munching New Jersey bounty hunter with a great set of wise cracks and an interesting sex life. Once you've read one you'll want to read them all.

Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald

The heartbreaking story of Dick and Nicole Diver, set on the French Riviera in the 1920s and considered to be the Great Gatsby author's finest work. Glamorous, tragic, compelling.

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

The ultimate tale of greed and retribution set in 1980s New York. A masterpiece.

The Beach by Alex Garland

This is the novel that everyone who has ever gone "travelling" wanted to write - but Alex Garland did. Brilliant.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The amazing journey of Theodore Decker - and a very extraordinary painting that comes into his possession. From New York to Las Vegas to Amsterdam, this is an enthralling story with a strangely likeable hero.

The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark

This novella from the author The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is set in post war Kensington, an eye opener as well as a total gem.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

The prequel to Jane Eyre, written from the point of view of the "madwoman" in the attic - Mrs Rochester. An extraordinary book from a brilliant mid-century novelist.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Headstrong Cathy, brooding Heathcliff, violent weather, Yorkshire moors and a love affair you just know isn't going to end well. If you like your romance with a large helping of tragedy, this is for you. Tissues at the ready...

The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse

Upper class twits in hilarious capers. What's not to like?

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

This memoir of Hemingway in Paris in the 1920s, cutting his teeth as a writer, sitting around in cafes drinking tons and hanging with the likes of F Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and Gertrude Stein is pure enjoyment.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

A tale of a fictional White House's First Lady, set in 2000 - and closely based on the early life of Laura Bush, wife of George W. Sophisticated and grown up.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

If you haven't read it you'll want to read it, and if you have you'll want to read it again. The story of Anna Karenin and her affair with the younger Count Vronsky is a classic that is most of all about love in all its forms.

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

If you like Girls you are going to adore this tome by its creator - from breakups to gynaecologists, the ultimate Girl tells us what she's learned.