Yes! Novels are where it's at! I'm currently reading my way through this list (http://thenounthatverbsyourworld.blogspot.com/2007/06/pool_11.html).

Unfortunately, the world now has a glut of uneducated dolts, so it makes sense that they would read detective novels or celebrity tell-alls.

I don't know... When I go on vacation, I find it a perfect time to delve deeply into literature that I have somehow neglected in my lifetime. And I always carry a dictionary with me, just in case my vocabulary doesn't provide me with all that I need (no wonder: in everyday conversation [with the aforesaid dolts], one's vocabulary diminishes greatly).

Hello. I would have to agree with Miklos Vamos, in refernece to what type of book to read on summer vacation. I also agree with his reasoning as to why on earth would you want to read a book about a celebrity, or why you would read a detective story. Boring. If you would read a book purely for pleasure, which is the effect that most reading has on me, I would recommend, to an audience interested in American/Western prose, or subject matter, Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson. For a more international perspective, I would recommend the Indian writer, Rohinton Mistry and his book A Fine Balance. Twain's book is entertaining and would satisfy the "detective story"-type reader, in addition to being a fascinating commentary on the very idea of race. As to Mr. Mistry's novel, this will entertain as well as inform a Western reader as to the political, social (class relations), and religious clash that took place in India during the 1970's under the rule of Indira Ghandi; a most interesting read.