Hi Guys!! :-)
Most people I know, including me, are on holiday [i'm still in London (:-] or preparing to enjoy some much needed late summer downtime. So if you plan to enjoy lazy afternoons in a park with a picnic, or if you're off to the beach to catch some rays and flirt with your scuba instructor :), one of the things to pack in your beach bag/handbag is a good book you can enjoy and find a little bit of escapism with, whether you're sunning it in London or living the life in paradise!
Here are my top picks for good summer reads!
1. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger - [one of my favourite books ever - read this then go and see the film - looks to be just as good and as heartfelt as The Notebook - McAdams and Bana at their romantic best!]
2. After You'd Gone - Maggie O'Farrell - [ A really sad page turner and impossible to put down!]
3. Chanel - Edmonde Charles-Roux - [the definitive biography of Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel on which Audrey Tautou personifies incredibly in the film Coco Avant Chanel - read and enjoy while listening to the sounds of the equally chic Carla Bruni in the background, and after this, pick up Justine Picardie's Coco Chanel - out next month]
4. Jamaica Inn - Daphne DuMaurier - [DuMaurier at her best - its exciting and alluring!]
5. Who What Wear - Katherine Power - [the definitive 'everywoman' fashion book for all women everywhere - a must for the brands that celebrities are really wearing this fall, and autumn/winter - Nicole Richie is also a firm fan]
6. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding - with lazy summer days and amidst rumours swirling of a third BJ film in production, you can't not pick this book up and read with comedy and intrigue at every single page. A genuine book to highlight a little bit of Bridget in all of us - reminding us that the art of being female, and a woman, really is just that - its something you have to hone, but along the way you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride, and let the comedic moments of your life unfold!
7. Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts - Here's one for the Boys - woop! Its a best seller, and even though its quite thick, every single detail is worth it for the epic unravelling of this book!
8. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey - another one that both men and women will marvel at - this is a dark, sometimes shocking, and incredibly sincere insight into the realities that James Frey lived with during one period in his life - a haunting, yet compelling read. :-)
9. The Alchemist - Paolo Coelho - A book that continues to grace many people's book list around the world, and has always done so since its publication. Since the critical success of this book, Coelho is considered to be somewhat of an authority and this, is one of his many publications that has proven simply a must read!
10. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller - One on my reading list - there's something about this book that makes it that little bit more special on the bookshelf, and i've had it recommended to me a thousand times over!
11. Eleven Minutes - Paolo Coelho - Coelho tells the story of a young Prostitute who closes her heart to love. Is this good thinking given her occupation or will this choice begin to haunt her and ruin her life?
12. Caesar's Women - Colleen McCullough - I'm really into Historical Fiction - I'm in love with the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, as well as the Tudor periods. This is a insightful book into the life of Julius Caesar, his political career and conquests, but most of all, his love affairs, and insatiable desire for women.
13. Antony and Cleopatra - Colleen McCullough - After reading The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George and falling in love with the book, I'm keen and excited to try and get a different perspective on their love affair together - another one that promises to be on my list!
14. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevski- another must read that is currently on my list!
15. The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov - another one added to the list - this is also Dutch Supermodel Helena Christensen's [who recently did a Harpers Bazaar covershoot with Gossip Girl's resident bad boy Ed Westwick] favourite book and tells the story of the personification of the devil as a black cat.
16. Look Who It Is! My Story - Alan Carr - For those of you who love the comedic genius of Alan Carr, this honest, refreshingly original and warts and all autobiography is for you! Alan has a no holds back charm to the way he retells his life story, and a must read for any of you who love his work on The Friday Night Project with Justin Lee Collins, and most recently, his own show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man
17. The Beach - Alex Garland - An absolute must for a summer read. Richard is on the ultimate search for the perfect paradise - then in a twist of fate beyond his wildest dreams, he finds it. But the more alluring this perfect world becomes, the deeper he descends into the dark secrets that threaten its very origins - and before he long, he finds himself ensconsed into his own hell.
Enjoy your Summer!!
Cle :-) xo
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