The question sounds astonishing to me -- take into consideration the fact that I am a novelist. Why would anyone want to learn or escape when he or she decides to read? I am not talking about the books that promise to teach you HOW to lose weight, or HOW to travel cheap in Europe, or HOW to fix things in your house. When you say the word BOOK to me, I think of fiction. Especially when we are deliberating about what books we would enjoy reading during our vacation.
Fiction doesn’t teach, and its reader doesn’t want to escape. It is actually the other way around. The fiction reader wants to sink deep into a good book and stay in it as long as possible. The joy of reading is a special (and, unfortunately, more and more rare) feeling that, frankly, reminds me of good sex. It is precious, long, and ends with an enormous emotional peak.
I am reluctant to give titles to an English-reading audience, since I am not perfectly informed about the supply of the book market in the US. But I am sure that for the summer some good novels would fit the bill.
I just came back from Corfu, Greece, after a nice vacation. I did a little research on what the guests in my hotel were reading on the beach. Believe it or not, most people read detective stories. I would not recommend one of those for anybody. Some people read biographies of famous people (mostly celebrities). You will not find those on my list either. So my only advice is this: pick novels. And I won’t complain, even if you stock up on Harry Potter.
Have a nice, booky summer.
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