When going on vacation, you want to take with you something to read that doesn’t require a lot of mental work and at the same time will help you take your mind off the routine and, perhaps, look at your life and the world around you from a new point of view. And the best stories for this are stories about travel that change our lives. RIAMO, together with the Read-Gorod bookstore chain, has chosen 10 new books that you can take with you on vacation.
Virginie Grimaldi "The Day I Started to Live"
After 20 years of boring family life, full of gray days and continuous routine, Marie decides to start all over again. She leaves her husband and goes on a cruise around the world, which will change her destiny. Marie will make new friends, find her calling and meet true love! Together with her, you will understand what you really want and learn how to part with old attachments, get rid of empty fears and
Jean-Paul Didielorand "The Rest of My Life"
French writer Jean-Paul Didielorant, winner of a dozen prestigious awards, including twice the International Hemingway Prize for collections of short stories, gained real fame when he wrote his first novel, The Morning Reader (2014), at the age of 50. His second novel, The Rest of My Life, brilliantly confirmed his reputation as an inimitable storyteller.
The young thanatopractitioner Ambroise prepares the bodies of the dead for their last appearance in public. His carefree grandmother Beth bakes Breton pies every day and can’t wait for her grandson to finally find a life partner. Meanwhile, young social worker Manel brightens up old age for lonely people and with all her heart becomes attached to one of her charges, the kindest pastry chef Samuel. Fate brings all four together in the most unexpected way, and an incredible adventure begins, full of life-affirming humor.
Tami Oldham-Ashcraft "At the mercy of the elements"
Tami Oldham-Ashcraft's autobiographical book was first published in 1998 and achieved bestseller status. On September 22, 1983, Tami Oldham and her fiancé Richard Sharp left Tahiti on board a beautiful sailing yacht to head to the shores of California. Young, free, in love with the expanse of the ocean, they hoped that the 30-day passage to San Diego would become another romantic adventure for them. But suddenly the adventure turned into a test: on October 11, the yacht was overtaken by the devastating hurricane Raymond - one of the most powerful in history. So, by the will of fate, not only the future, but also the very lives of young people
Boris Akunin "Nut Buddha"
The novel “The Nut Buddha” describes the adventures of a sacred figurine, which, by chance, made a long journey from distant Japan to no less distant Muscovy. Buddha wanders through Rus', disturbed by Peter’s upheavals, illuminating souls with the light of satori and helping travelers find the way to themselves... “Run around Rus' alone, look for the wind in the field. No matter how inventive and dexterous a person may be, the state net is always grippy. Tsar Peter is great because he understood this truth: he decided to turn the disorganized, disorderly country into a harmonious bakufu, as the great Ieyasu did a hundred years ago in Japan. Of course, Russia is still far from achieving the Japanese order. There, from the most shining top to the most deaf bottom, rays of state supervision diverge, right down to each five-yard, over which its own observer watches.
Sarah Gio "Back to You"
Once upon a time, the public was shocked by the story of Charlotte, who was shipwrecked during her honeymoon and returned home only two years later. She spent a lot of time on the open sea, and then on a desert island in the company of an unsociable man named Gray, thanks to whom she was able to survive. Many years later, Charlotte finds a message in a bottle on the shore. This is incredible, but it follows that Gray is still waiting for her on the island, and, in his opinion, since the moment of their separation
Maureen Johnson "The Ellingham Affair"
Ellingham Academy is a prestigious boarding school known for its outstanding alumni. The school's founder, Albert Ellingham, selected exceptionally talented children to teach them on the principle that "learning is a wonderful game." In 1936, dark events take place within the walls of the academy: Ellingham’s wife and little daughter were kidnapped by a mysterious villain calling himself the Evil One. This kidnapping became one of the greatest unsolved crimes in history called the Ellingham Case. Stevie Bell enters Ellingham Academy with the ambitious goal of solving an 80-year-old crime. But as soon as she begins the investigation, the Evil One reappears at the school... And Stevie enters into a dangerous
Peter James "438 days at sea"
Peter James is the creator of the internationally acclaimed series of novels about Superintendent Roy Grace, the author of numerous New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers, and the winner of a number of literary awards. An unknown maniac not only killed a young beautiful woman, but for some reason also put a gas mask on her before her death. Just the right puzzle for Roy Grace, a specialist in complicated cases. However, this time the superintendent will have to rack his brains over another problem: how to conduct an investigation and at the same time not miss the chance of a lifetime. The fact is that his wife showed up in another country,
Jean-Baptiste Del Amo "Salt"
If each family member has a thousand reasons to hate each other, and seemingly none to love, an ordinary dinner turns into an ancient tragedy. And we no longer see a mother with three adult children sitting at the table - the picture changes: painful memories, deep grievances, suppressed rage, regrets, ugly mental scars, unwillingness to forgive appear before us. The burden of the past is so heavy that it can crush the future. Before us is a portrait of a family,
Elena Favilli, Francesca Cavallo “Bedtime Stories for Young Rebels”
The stories told in this book are not quite fairy tales. “99 Inspiring Stories of Incredible Women” is an essay about the destinies of 100 real-life great women. Reading that may interest not only young, but also older rebels. The heroines of the book are completely different - ballerinas and astronauts, queens and designers, scientists and artists. Coco Chanel, Marie Curie, Queen Elizabeth and many others - all of them are united by the fact that they were not afraid to be the first, to discover new things and to achieve their own. Each of them achieved success in their business and helped many people gain faith in themselves - and all this
Anna Gavalda's new book includes 7 piercing, accurate, gentle stories about ordinary people and their lives.
About loneliness, the pain of loss, the magic of meetings and the power of love. The characters reveal themselves to the reader in difficult situations, when everything literally falls apart, and one must find the strength to start from scratch. A young man who has just attended his ex's wedding, a grieving truck driver who shares his grief with his dog, a bereaved businessman who plunders the minibar in a hotel room in Seoul, a father summoned to school by an angry headmistress, a girl who looking for love...
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We offer a small selection of different genres, different sizes, interesting books to read on vacation - 15 authors and 100% pleasure.
"Aviator" Evgeniy Vodolazkin
A new and long-awaited book by Evgeny Vodolazkin, “The Aviator,” is a nominee for the “Big Book 2016” award.
The hero of the new novel “The Aviator” is a man in a state of tabula rasa: waking up one day in a hospital bed, he realizes that he knows absolutely nothing about himself - not his name, not who he is, not where he is. Hoping to restore the history of his life, he begins to write down the memories that visited him, fragmentary and chaotic: St. Petersburg at the beginning of the twentieth century, dacha childhood in Siverskaya and Alushta, gymnasium and first love, the revolution of 1917, falling in love with aviation, Solovki... But where is he from? accurately remembers details of everyday life, phrases, smells, sounds of that time, if the year on the calendar is 1999?..
“Kaleidoscope” Sergey Kuznetsov
Publishing house "AST"
The new novel by Sergei Kuznetsov, a finalist for the Big Book Prize, has more than a hundred characters and ten settings: Victorian England, Shanghai in the 1930s, Paris in 1968, California in the 1990s, modern Russia... In this kaleidoscope of people and events Each chapter is only part of the overall pattern, but masterful storytelling connects the fragments of life into one exciting story.
« Zuleikha opens her eyes" Guzel Yakhina
Publishing house "Editing Elena Shubina" (AST)
An original novel about the fate of a woman during periods of dispossession, repression and World War II. The novel begins in the winter of 1930 and ends in 1946. Against a broad historical background, the main character, the dispossessed Tatar woman Zuleikha, lives her formation as a person, learns the feminine essence and the joys of motherhood. Zuleikha will learn to hear her “I” and learn to love. Zuleikha opens her eyes.
"The Triumph of Insignificance" Milan Kundera
Publishing house "Azbuka-Atticus"
Milan Kundera is one of the most popular writers of our time. His books literally fascinate the reader with their sophistication of style, skillful plotting, and intense feelings among the characters. Each new work of the writer joins the number of bestsellers of intellectual prose. Kundera is back!
Read the long-awaited novel “The Triumph of Insignificance,” where the author, hiding behind deceptive lightness and a humorous tone, talks about the unbearable absurdity of existence.
"My Strange Thoughts" Orhan Pamuk
Publishing house "Azbuka-Atticus" ("Foreigner")
Orhan Pamuk is a famous Turkish writer, winner of numerous national and international awards, including the Nobel Prize in Literature for “searching for the soul of his melancholic city.” Pamuk's new novel, My Strange Thoughts, which he has been working on for the past six years, is perhaps the most “Istanbul” of all. Its action covers more than forty years - from 1969 to 2012. The main character Mevlut works on the streets of Istanbul, watching how the streets are filled with new people, the city gains and loses new and old buildings, poor people come from Anatolia to work. Before his eyes, coups take place, authorities change each other, and Mevlut still wanders the streets, on winter evenings wondering what distinguishes him from other people, why he has strange thoughts about everything in the world and who really is his beloved, whom he has been writing letters for the past three years.
"The Childhood of Jesus" John Maxwell Coetzee
Publishing house "Eksmo"
The most mysterious writer of all Nobel laureates, twice awarded the Booker Prize and never appearing for the presentation, dedicating his Nobel speech to no one but Robinson Crusoe, a man whose very name remained a mystery for a long time.
The Childhood of Jesus is Coetzee's sixteenth novel. Having caused quite a stir even before its release, it seriously puzzled critics all over the world. This is a novel of obsession, every word of which is so ambiguous that the author, in his words, would prefer to publish it “with a blank cover and with a blank title,” so that the title could be discovered only at the end of the book. Full of symbols and encrypted meanings, this allegorical tale about childhood will certainly intrigue readers.
"The Shop of Bad Dreams" Stephen King
Publishing house "AST"
The author of numerous novels, Stephen King has always been considered a brilliant master of short prose, because it was for his short stories that he was awarded the prestigious O. Henry Prize.
King's new collection of short stories, The Shop of Bad Dreams, is a unique book. For the first time, the master introduces each work with a surprisingly frank history of its creation, opening the “door” to his creative workshop. Exciting and frightening, exciting and as if warning, these stories are small masterpieces that only the great Stephen King could write.
"A Year in Provence" Peter Mayle
Publishing house "Azbuka" ("Azbuka-Atticus")
This fascinating, literary-style, delicious book is not read, but “eaten” in a moment. Twelve chapters - 12 months of life in Provence. A light, elegant, ironic narrative, stunning descriptions of French flavor and local gastronomy, unexpected discoveries and adventures will not let the reader get bored.
If you live in a country that does not have the mildest climate, where winter lasts nine months a year and an incomprehensible off-season, then you probably know the longing in your heart for warm, sunny days spent on vacation on the seashore. These feelings are not alien to the writer Peter Mayle. One day he decided to move from gloomy, cloudy London to a village on the Cote d'Azur.
"A Spool of Blue Thread" by Anne Tyler
Publishing house "Phantom Press"
Whitshanks have always surprised us with their cohesion and subtle specialness. It was a family that everyone envied in a good way. But like every family, they also had a secret, hidden reality, which they themselves were not really aware of. Abby, Red and four grown children have in their luggage not only wonderful memories of joy, laughter, and family holidays, but also disappointments, jealousy, and carefully guarded secrets. In the novel by Anne Tyler, one of the best modern writers, the story of three generations of one family unfolds - touching, but not at all sentimental, dramatic, but funny, very deep, but simple. Anne Tyler is sometimes called the northern Fanny Flagg, but her stories are much closer to the stories of A.P. Chekhov - subtle, sad and funny and incredibly deep. She tells them in a quiet, slightly mocking voice, and they resonate in your soul for a long time, you think about them, and your own life appears in a new light - much more filled with meaning. Some books flash with dazzling fireworks, but quickly go out, leaving behind a black sky in which rare but real stars shine - among them the novels of Anne Tyler. Anne Tyler is a Pulitzer Prize winner, and her novel A Spool of Blue Thread was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2015.
"Cutting Stone" by Abraham Verghese
Publishing house "Phantom Press"
“Cutting Stone” is a lifelong story of love, betrayal and redemption, human frailty and fortitude, exile and a long return to one’s roots. In the mission hospital of Addis Ababa, under tragic, truly Shakespearean, circumstances, two boys are born, two twins fused at the back of their heads, Marion and Shiva. Born to a beautiful Indian nun from an English surgeon, the boys were orphaned in the first hours of their lives. The art and courage of the doctors who separated them immediately after birth determined their lives and fate. Marion and Shiva will connect their lives with medicine, but each will go their own way. An amazing, tragic and full of incredible events awaits them. An absolutely happy childhood and dramatic youth, the search for oneself and one’s roots, betrayal and a passionate desire to atone for guilt, love that looks like an obsession, and jealousy that eats away the soul. And all this under the shadow of medicine. No matter what happened in the lives of the heroes of this truly great novel, no matter how tormented their fate, the main thing for them always remained surgery - the business for which they came into this world. Abraham Verghese is an outstanding doctor, a luminary in the field of physical therapy, one of the most respected doctors in America. His first novel was a big event; its amazing insight and authenticity, deep knowledge of the profession and excellent literary style allow Verghese's book to be called one of the most significant medical novels of the last century.
"Beloved" Toni Morrison
Publishing house "Eksmo"
Most recently, the novel was republished, for which thanks to the Eksmo publishing house. It was first published in 1987 and was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Fiction a year later. And in 1993, its author won the Nobel Prize in Literature as a writer “who, in her dream-filled and poetic novels, brought to life an important aspect of American reality.” In the history of American literature there are many works devoted to the theme of slavery. “12 Years a Slave” by Solomon Northup and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe are known to many. But “Beloved” is a special book, imbued with magical realism and extreme tragedy.
The black slave Sethe, having escaped from her master's Sweet Home, kills her daughter so that she will never know what slavery is, so that she will not have to go through what her mother experienced, so that she will not be raped, assessed and measured like an animal so that she remains free. “To my beloved,” reads the inscription on the tombstone of the murdered woman.
"Shantaram" Gregory David Roberts
Publishing house "Azbuka"
One of the most amazing novels of the early 21st century. This confession, refracted in artistic form, of a man who managed to get out of the abyss and survive, rammed all the bestseller lists and earned enthusiastic comparisons with the works of the best writers of modern times, from Melville to Hemingway. Like the author, the hero of this novel hid from the law for many years. Deprived of parental rights after his divorce from his wife, he became addicted to drugs, committed a number of robberies and was sentenced by an Australian court to nineteen years in prison. Having escaped from a maximum security prison for the second year, he reached Bombay, where he was a counterfeiter and smuggler, sold weapons and participated in showdowns of the Indian mafia, and also found his true love, only to lose her again, only to find her again...
And for those who have already read this book, we recommend the continuation of the bestseller - “Shadow of the Mountain”.
"Chineasy" (in 2 books) ShaoLan Xue
For most people, just looking at Chinese characters causes surprise, a little fear and a logical question: “How can you understand all these characters without going crazy from cramming and boredom?”
Meanwhile, Chinese is considered the most widely spoken modern language with a total of 1.2 billion speakers. At the same time, it is one of the most difficult languages to learn. However, this fact should not scare you if you are lucky enough to learn about the Chineasy method!
The author's Chineasy method will help you quickly expand your vocabulary with 400 Chinese words and start using them. The magical power of the method is that by learning one small set of constituent elements, you can create new hieroglyphs and words. And if you learn multiple sets of building blocks, your learning process will be taken to a whole new level.
The main goal of Chineasy is to bridge the distance between cultures, to remove the shroud of mystery from the Chinese language, which serves as a barrier for many people! Let's start learning Chinese right now!
“Blue dot. The Cosmic Future of Humanity" Carl Sagan
Publishing house "Alpina Publisher"
An outstanding popularizer of science, a wonderful storyteller, a passionate promoter of space, and a visionary, Carl Sagan believes that the desire to wander and expand the boundaries of knowledge is inherent in human nature and is connected with our survival as a species. His candid, engrossing book interweaves philosophical reflections with enthusiastic descriptions of triumphant exploration of planets and satellites, both by man and robotic missions to the Moon. By introducing us to our neighbors in space, Sagan not only enlightens and delights the reader, he also helps to understand how to protect the Earth.
Why the book “Blue Dot. The Cosmic Future of Humanity is worth reading:
- The main popular science book of the summer! The book is an event for everyone interested in science and space. A book for everyone who has not forgotten how to dream.
- In Blue Dot, Carl Sagan traces the fascinating history of space exploration and dreams of a future when humans transcend the solar system and travel to distant galaxies. This book is about dreams, science and the future of humanity.
- The book talks about new knowledge, our coordinates, our place in the Universe and why (even if the call of distant roads has become much quieter in our time) the future of humanity is far beyond the Earth.
- The most famous astronomer in the world, Carl Sagan, participated in the study of the atmosphere of Venus, the moons of Jupiter and Uranus, and the development of space probes and messages to alien intelligence. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, the NASA Medal, and so many awards that even the Memorial Award for Space Exploration is named after Carl Sagan. His new inspiring book about dreams and space is for the first time in Russian.
"On the Limit" and "No Self-Pity" by Erik Larssen
Publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber"
"On the Limit" is a seven-day personal development intensive from Norway's leading coach and author of the best-selling book "No Self-Pity."
One of the key stages in the training of special forces soldiers in different countries is “Hell Week”, “Hell Week”, “Young Soldier Course”. It can have many names. Erik Larssen, Norway's best business coach, who himself served in the special forces, noticed that most people change dramatically for the better in that week and often remember it with pride for the rest of their lives.
He created a "civilian version" of this week, an intensive program that anyone can do, no matter where they work. It starts at 5 am on Monday and ends on Sunday evening. During this time you will change for the better.
It often seems to us that we could do more, work better, play more sports... But we don’t. Partly because we are afraid of difficulties. This week will show you that you can do much more than you think.
During this week you will eat healthy food. Exercise every day. Rest effectively. Listen to the people around you. Work with maximum concentration. Get up early. Go to bed early. Give up everything unnecessary. Set priorities correctly. You will feel better, accomplish more, be energetic, proactive and positive.
You will become the best version of yourself for a week. How long is it or not?
As the experience of the author and his clients shows, you will continue to act in the same spirit throughout your life.
In No Self-Pity, Eric Larssen talks powerfully and emotionally about how to create change, set big goals, think bigger, and push your limits far beyond your comfort zone.
Thanks to this book you will be able to:
Set ambitious goals;
Train your consciousness and willpower;
Ask yourself the right questions and set yourself up for positive results;
Get a very strong charge of motivation.
YOU CAN READ REVIEWS OF SOME BOOKS ON THE SITE
10 books that will make your vacation perfect
Create a summer mood, kill time on the beach, lie in a hammock with a thoughtful look and a plump volume in your teeth - we have options here for every occasion.
"A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle
Briton Peter, along with his wife and two dogs, fled from the lousy London weather to Provence, there he bought a dilapidated house surrounded by vineyards and began to gradually warm up. Mail's ironic notes are reminiscent of Jerome K. Jerome, they delight you like a good glass of red wine and evoke an irresistible desire to run to the nearest visa center for Schengen.
One day, 29-year-old Alice wakes up and discovers that she is already 40, she is divorcing her rotten husband, she has three offspring in her arms, and she herself is a battered lady with a lousy character. Essentially, this book is about the female version of a midlife crisis. Read to prevent it.
Gill is an esthete, a curmudgeon, a brilliant journalist, a sworn friend of Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson and a man with a completely clear-eyed outlook. Gill travels across all continents and sarcastically points out what both enthusiastic guidebooks and no less enthusiastic tourists miss.
Libedinskaya is a person from another time and another world. And “The Green Lamp” is a leisurely journey through the world of mid-century Soviet bohemia. Lydia Borisovna had a talent for attracting extraordinary people - and writing about them subtly and with sympathy.
Lou loses his job in a cafe and, in order to quickly plug the hole in the family budget, gets a job as a nurse for a disabled person. Only this disabled person is smart and handsome. Well, the rest is clear. The book managed to become a bestseller, and very soon, in just a week, a film adaptation will be released starring Emilia “Daenerys” Clarke and Sam “Finnick” Claflin. But you still have time to read the source.
No, not about the Moomins. About love. Grandmothers - to a capricious granddaughter and to life, granddaughters - to a harmful cat and a short northern summer. It’s a sad thing and not at all childish, but all the same - you turn over the last page and it seems that the clouds have parted and somehow brightened up.
A very sweet, sentimental and funny book about the inhabitants of a godforsaken village somewhere in the mountains of Armenia. Lots of cilantro, magical realism, pomegranate seeds, love, miracles and out of nowhere nostalgia - even if you don’t have a drop of Armenian blood.
"Daisy Fay and the Miracles" by Fannie Flagg
Daisy lives somewhere in the American South sometime in the early 1950s. The family is poor, all the relatives are, to put it mildly, with a lot of money, life does not stroke her fur. But Daisy has a unique gift - not to perceive anything tragically. I wish everyone could do this. A very light and sunny book from the same Flagg who wrote “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Stop Station Cafe.”
Summer passed as if it had never happened. But if, like Oleg Dahl’s hero in the film of the same name, you have a vacation in September (October, November), the authors of the best telegram channels about books, at the request of Sobaka.Ru, recommended publications with which you can spend a great weekend. And weekdays too, by the way.
Ekaterina Aksenova
On vacation, it’s good to take something that is both fascinating and respectable (so that you can answer the question “what are you reading”) and memorable without hesitation. If the book also provides food for discussion over long, lazy breakfasts, that’s great!
In 2018, excellent candidates for a joint trip to distant countries were:
Andrey Zhuravlev “Creation of the Earth. How living organisms created our world"
This is fresh domestic science-pop that effectively explodes the reader’s consciousness. And if the warm sea and alien sky put you in a philosophical mood, it’s time to read a story stretched over four billion years, in which funny lumps of protoplasm successfully transform a piece of stone into our cozy world. And they create all the major minerals, and raise mountains, and change the climate, and periodically arrange a complete apocalypse. The book is not easy, but when, if not on vacation, should we remember that the brain is not only for budgets and reports?
Amanda Hendricks, Charles Wohlforth "Beyond Earth. Looking for a new home in the solar system"
After reading it, you get the complete feeling that you are ready to build the first space colony on distant Titan. You can see people from another world floating in the orange sky above the icy cliffs. The book successfully combines a fantastic line describing the possible development of the colony, information from astronomy and space medicine, and also a story about the structure of the current half-crazy projects for the development of other planets. Bonus: with the knowledge you gain, you can shake the imagination of any child from four to ten years old, because their encyclopedias don’t write anything like that about space.
Valery Shabashov
On vacation, you need to take either very interesting books, or those that you haven’t gotten around to and you can’t get away from them on the beach, since there is no other alternative in your suitcase.
Alexey Ivanov “The Gold of Rebellion”
Take with you “The Gold of Rebellion” by Alexey Ivanov. This book will allow you to move from under the scorching sun into the harsh Ural expanses of a mining civilization that is gone forever. Where the treasury of Emelyan Pugachev and his associates disappeared is known only to the raftsmen - the captains of primitive navigation on the rebellious Chusovaya River. While reading this book, I did not notice how I flew from Heraklion to Moscow.
Donato Carrisi "Lost Girls of Rome"
If you love action-packed detective stories and Italy, pick up Donato Carrisi's novel The Lost Girls of Rome. The Vatican's secret police have been fighting the most insidious criminals from century to century, but the villain who opposes them in the 21st century is not so easy to neutralize. This detective reveals the most sinister secrets of the “eternal city”.
Maria Burova
book reviewer, creator of the “Woman Writes” telegram channel
JK Rowling "A Very Good Life"
So JK Rowling's modest "The Very Good Life" is perfect in this case. Inside this pocket edition is a beautifully illustrated speech the English writer gave to Harvard students ten years ago. Its main message is the value of imagination and the positive impact of failure on us. For Potter fans, this book will be another valuable copy in the collection, and for everyone else, it will be an opportunity to decide to make changes in their own lives.
Maya Lunde "The Story of Bees"
“The History of Bees” is a completely new and topical book. The author of the novel, Norwegian Maja Lunde, is very concerned about the global and irreversible changes that man makes to the world around him. Her three heroes live in different times, but their destinies are somehow connected with bees. In 1852, amateur naturalist William Savage tries to create a new type of hive. Two centuries later, hereditary beekeeper George Savage witnesses a mass exodus of these insects. At the end of the 21st century, the Chinese woman Theo herself is forced to be like a bee, manually pollinating trees every day for the sake of starving humanity. The book is read quickly: unexpected turns, moralizing thoughts and sentimental transitions - everything is distributed evenly.
Olesya Skopinskaya
Gerald Durrell "My Family and Other Animals"
An autobiographical and very witty story by little Jerry Darrell about five years spent with the whole family on the flowering island of Corfu. Fascinated by natural history, he spent days studying the insects and animals lurking in the gardens of their villa. Some even managed to become household members. For example, the turtle Achilles and the dove Quasimodo, who gave everyone a surprise by turning out to be a dove. Such comical situations dilute the heated discussions of family members about the future and raising children. For me, this book is an endless summer with olive groves, myrtle thickets and a childish thirst for discovery.
Ted Chiang "The Story of Your Life"
Ted Chiang's collection is one of the most awarded in the history of science fiction. Each of the stories contains a sharp social subtext that is relevant for our time, be it a rethinking of the myth of the Tower of Babel or the purpose of the golem. Chan's science shows a truly obstinate character, destroying people's illusions about its role in the future of progress.
Chan did not hide the fact that he was inspired by the works of Sartre, his fine-tuning in the perception of the world. Therefore, it raises questions from the desire to see meaning in everything to the victory over discrimination based on appearance. Chan does not hesitate to exaggerate reality, wanting to reach a generation. Maybe it's worth listening?
Evgenia Lisitsyna
Collection “What happiness!”
But if we average and simplify, then on vacation with a pure heart, every second person can take, for example, the recent collection of stories “What Happiness!” from the “Editorial team of Elena Shubina”. Stories are generally a good choice for holidays. If the resort wind blows the contents of the previous text out of your head, then you can always take on a new one without a doubt. And if you don’t like one view of happiness, then the other will certainly hook you.
The trends of 2019 have shown that young ladies can be very different. Some are really delighted with Jojo Moyes, others even read, if not Steinbeck, then Dostoevsky in the bathroom. What book should you take with you to sea in 2020?
In this selection we have collected all the best that is now in bookstores. At the same time, we tried to make it diverse so that everyone could find their own.
Tender prose:
Brutal works:
Romance novels
Anna Gavalda “I loved her, I loved him”
Gavalda is remembered less often today, although her women's prose is very talented. A pleasant, unobtrusive style, a plot that penetrates the soul - this is the secret of its success. Did you like it? Then move on to “Simply Together” - a subtle but catchy work that you don’t want to tear yourself away from for long.
Guzel Yakhina “Zuleikha opens her eyes”
In fact, calling “Zuleikha” light literature is blasphemy. But it pulls you in from the first page. There is more than enough love there: for the man, for the children, for the land and the Motherland.
You won't forget this book in your room. You will reach for it every minute: on the plane, on the beach, on the way to an excursion.
“Zuleikha” is a modern Russian prose. Rather, get acquainted with the book, which in ten years risks becoming a classic.
Books by Jojo Moyes
Take any of her books:
- "Dancer with Horses"
- "The last letter from your lover"
- "The girl you left."
- The writer recently released a new novel: “The Giver of Stars.”
All her books are about love, easy to read and end on a bright note. Although in the middle of each novel you will have to cry a couple of times, but that’s okay. Lying in a hotel bathroom with a glass of your favorite wine, it’s not a sin to cry and clear the mucous membranes of your eyes.
Josie Silver "One Day in December"
A touching story about a tired girl and love at first sight. Many people can easily recognize themselves in Lori, who is completely fed up with deadlines and problems. Therefore, it will be doubly pleasant to rejoice over the romance that happened to her.
Moreover, love knocked on her right through the bus window. Finally, there is real life in the book, without princes in white Mercedes, right?!
A novel about four girls, four sisters. They are completely different, but try their best not to betray each other. Not an easy task, you understand. Especially when you are 17, there is war all around, and your first love is on the doorstep.
"Little Women" is a classic of the genre, but it is relevant to read in 2020, because... A film of the same name is released. Among others, Hermione from Harry Potter starred there.
Sidney Sheldon "Intrigue"
A powerful novel about everything: career, love, family ties. The book immediately immerses you in the plot and is almost impossible to put down. Even the hotel buffet no longer looks tempting. The book is not new (a joke about wine could have happened at this point), but good literature does not age.
Erotic literature
Dedicate your vacation to erotic literature? Good idea! It’s not an office to read it, right? The beach is much more consistent with these goals. Although the balcony of a hotel room is also okay. You decide! Our task is to provide worthy books.
Janusz Leon Vishnevsky “Loneliness on the Internet”
Vishnevsky’s books are a high-quality mix of trembling emotional experiences and bold, provocative episodes. “Loneliness on the Internet” is definitely the author’s best book, so start your acquaintance with it if you have never met this Pole before.
Emily Nagoski "As a woman wants"
“As a Woman Wants” stands apart in this collection. This book does not belong to fiction, its niche is nonfiction (science fiction aimed at a wide audience).
However, the work works better than a thousand novels about wild passions. One book contains information that any woman needs - information about herself. Psychology, anatomy, physiology of sex - the author calmly and frankly talks with readers about everything. With this book, perhaps your vacation will give you more than just a nice tan.
Nagoski's work is a New York Times bestseller, after all.
Erica Leonard James "50 Shades of Gray"
A hit of erotic prose in recent years! Everyone has heard about 50 Shades. In fact: yes, boldly, yes, frankly and in three parts.
But connoisseurs of elegant style will have a hard time. The translation is terrible. Although let's be honest, the author did not focus on her literary talent.
If some one-sidedness of the narrative doesn’t bother you and you want more sensual scenes, this is a great solution.
The same “50 Shades” is now in Italy. Venice is an amazing experience in itself. But the main character was luckier: in this city love overtook her.
The author mixed winning ingredients: ancient architecture, breathtaking cuisine, all-consuming art, daring temperament and, of course, love. This marvelous cocktail will impress even the most reserved woman. By the way, at first Elena, the main character, makes a similar impression.
Henry Miller "Tropic of Cancer"
In "Tropic of Cancer" romance... is about like snow in Africa. But there are plenty of sex scenes. The book is rude, provocative, controversial. Good in its genre. But for delicate natures looking for “butterflies in the stomach”, it’s better to pass by.
A very unique book. Young ladies with an inner world of the “fairy” type should not delve into these dark jungles.
“The Story of O” is about masters and slaves, submission, dangerous rituals and adult games. History was first published in 1954. Looks like 50 Shades isn't the only one of its kind, right?
Sarah Waters "Velvet Claws"
London, 19th century – already a good start, but it gets better. The main character, Nancy, wants to get out of the small town and see life in the capital. When she manages to leave her small homeland with a friend, she simply freezes in anticipation of happiness. But it’s not just success that London will feed a naive girl.
It is not recommended for those who oppose same-sex love to read it. Still, the book received the LGBT award for a reason. By the way, a film adaptation has been released.
Detectives and thrillers
Men also throw a couple of volumes of leisure reading into their suitcases. They are ready to spend several weeks without the work of Socrates; they even agree to leave the Booker Prize winners alone. Instead, detective, fantasy and adventure novels of varying quality go into the travel bag.
Alex Michaelides "The Silent Patient"
One day, a fashion photographer was rushing home to his beloved wife. The young woman greeted her husband with five shots in the face.
Alicia was arrested and sent for compulsory treatment to a psychiatric clinic. At this point the story could have ended, but since the murder the woman has not uttered a word. What is the reason? Is she manifesting a complex illness or is the artist covering for someone? Criminal psychiatrist Theo Faber decides to figure this out.
The book masterfully keeps the intrigue, so it is possible to tear yourself away from the text solely for the sake of sleep and for nothing else.
Bernard Werber "The Last Secret"
Human brain vs computer: who will win? A game of chess will resolve the issue. The man wins, but dies. Journalists and investigators will not be bored: society has a lot of questions about what happened.
Not the author's most popular novel. The whole world admires the “Magi” and the “Mage”, and the “Collector” smiles shyly in their shadow. With the same quiet, modest smile, “The Collector” will draw the reader into its world and not let go even after the last page.
You read a book avidly, and then for a week you try to catch your breath and come to your senses. There is definitely no shame in spending the holidays with this novel.
An impressive Talmudic scholar, no doubt about it. But you won’t be satisfied with just one film adaptation of 2019! "The Goldfinch" is a must read! Don't believe the blurb! A terrorist attack, an explosion, a painting... “The Goldfinch” is not about that, although the above facts take place on the first twenty pages.
“The Goldfinch” is about strange friendship and strange love, about longing and about the fact that each of us is not who we seem to be. Gang fights and philosophical conversations, endless time and crazy adrenaline. There's even Potter.
Read “The Goldfinch” and you won’t notice how your hands involuntarily start typing “Fabricius” into Google.
Thomas Harris "The Silence of the Lambs"
“Lambs” keeps you on your toes until the final paragraph. It’s not for nothing that the novel is included in the top 100 detective stories according to Americans.
Are you familiar with Hannibal Lector? Do you want to spend your vacation in the company of a cannibal intellectual? Then grab a copy of The Silence of the Lambs for your trip. And a beach holiday won’t seem boring to you for a long time.
Fantasy
A good fantasy with a light style and a coherent plot is not easy to find. Which magicians should I read about on vacation? In 2020, the following are in demand:
Expected, but inevitable. Netflix finally released the series, so the book received another wave of popularity.
Why not? A worthy series of novels, a charismatic hero, a long-lasting story. Lying on the beach, reading about the adventures of Geralt - this is a real man's vacation.
Dmitry Glukhovsky “Metro 2033”
"Metro 2033" is the original source of the top computer game. Russian post-apocalypse in action. The year is 2033. After the Third World War there was nothing alive left on Earth. The only people who survived were those who managed to get into the subway a second before the explosion.
Now their world is the Moscow metro. The main character, Artem, lives at VDNH. A certain Hunter comes there and the story begins.
Metro 2033 is the first part of an epic trilogy.
Six outcasts start a mess. They need to pull off a nonsense: the robbery of the century. Do you think they will fail? No matter how it is! A thief, a shooter, a vengeful prisoner, a magician and a Phantom... Oh yes, at the head of the company is a young talent from the underworld. The event promises to be interesting.
Maria Semenova "Wolfhound"
Fans of Slavic fantasy will be delighted. The series released several years ago does not convey one iota the richness of the world created by Semyonova. "Wolfhound" is a must read. Perhaps you are also a Gray Dog. It is advisable to know such things about yourself.
Stephen King
Someday it will certainly go out of fashion, but not today. Everyone reads King and vacation is not a reason to break tradition. Fortunately, Stephen is a prolific writer, so you just need to go to the bookstore and choose an unfamiliar novel from the king of horrors.
Terry Pratchett: Pestilence, Death's Disciple
Talking about death on vacation? No problem. Terry Pratchett works wonders as an interlocutor.
Death is tired. He wants to pet kittens and fish, eat delicious food and relax in every possible way. But he doesn’t have a replacement colleague, and no one has canceled his job. I really want to go on vacation, so death finds an intern - the awkward boy Mora.
Will he cope with his new responsibilities? Is he able to transport people to the neighboring world? The reader will soon find out, and along the way he will have a good laugh and talk about the eternal with the first interlocutor he comes across. Terry Pratchett, he is insidious, forcing you to leave your mental comfort zone.
Philip Pullman "Northern Lights"
The series about Lyra Belacqua has started, so Pullman is back in fashion. The “His Dark Materials” trilogy is headed by the book “Northern Lights”, which is what we’ll take on vacation. The book will take you into an unusual world in which every person has a daemon. Damon is something of a pet, but the bond with him is much stronger. A person's attachment to an animal makes separation unbearable. As soon as the daemon moves a couple of meters away from his owner, he dies from mental anguish.
After all, who doesn't love their own pet? Nothing special! But people have appeared who separate children from demons for the sake of experiment. And the desperate girl, Lyra Belacqua, intends to resist this with all her might.
When traveling, do you rush into the embrasure of unread classics or rest your soul with “Manyunya” Abgaryan? What books do you take on vacation? Would you choose the ironic “Games of Demiurges” by Bormor or the mysterious “Aviator” by Vodolazkin? Are you resting your soul with Dontsova? Do you re-read The Lord of the Rings year after year? Do you prefer collections a la “To Live in St. Petersburg” and “Moscow: Meeting Place”?
Write your favorite “vacation” books in the comments, we will add them to the list. Let everything be wonderful on vacation: the hotel, the view from the window, and the books!
2018-05-04T23:11:00+00:00
If you are looking for a book for both relaxation and everyday reading, I can recommend Laura Weiss and her “Alvin Blair and Katherine”, as well as “His Trophy”. I recommend it to everyone
