Six Summer Reads

Going away somewhere fabulous and far-flung? Or having a relaxing staycation? Below are six books that I think would be a perfect accompaniment to any kind of break.

Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Our family histories are simply stories. They are myths we create about the people who came before us, in order to make sense of ourselves.

The story of June and Mick Riva seemed like a tragedy to their oldest child, Nina. It felt like a comedy of errors to the first son, Jay. It was an origin story for their second son, Hud. And a mystery to the baby of the family, Kit. To Mick himself it was just a chapter of his memoir.

But to June, it was, always and forever, a romance.

Malibu Rising

The book is set over one day – the lead up to a party at Nina Riva’s house. The party. A party that anyone can go to, so long as you are cool enough to know the address. As the day progresses, we learn about each member of the family: from Nina and her collapsing marriage, to her siblings Jay, Hud and Kit who each have a secret they need to tell. The book is also interspersed with the story of how their parents, Mick and June, met; how Mick became a famous musician whereas June wanted nothing more but a life away from her parents’ fish restaurant on the shore.

The party begins and it is full of famous faces looking to get drunk and have fun. But, as the night wears on, the party becomes out of control and a sense of foreboding shadows each page.

The siblings are a family of surfers who each feel an affinity with the ocean and the book is filled with lovely salty-sandy references to beautiful beaches and being in the water. It’s the next best thing to actually being in Malibu, overlooking the Pacific.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Nikki has dropped out of university, sensing that law isn’t the career for her. But with no other idea what is for her, she takes a job as the instructor of a weekly writing workshop for women at the Sikh Community Association in Southall, London.

Nikki stopped and looked around. She was surrounded by women with their heads covered – women hurrying after their toddlers, women giving each other sideways glances, women hunched over walking frames. Each one had a story. She could see herself addressing a room full of these Punjabi women. Her senses became overwhelmed with the colour of their kameezes, the sound of fabric rustling and pencils tapping, the smell of perfume and turmeric. Her purpose came into sharp focus. ‘Some people don’t even know about this place,’ she would say. ‘Let’s change that.’ Fiery-eyed and indignant, they would pen their stories for the whole world to read.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

But Nikki soon realises that the women in her class, who are all widows, have other ideas about what they want to write… “This is the story about a man and a woman taking a drive in a car. The man was tall and handsome and the woman was his wife. They didn’t have any children and lots of free time.”

Despite trying to keep the writing a secret, word about Nikki’s workshop gets out and the Brothers (a group of young, unemployed men who consider themselves Southall’s morality police) want to shut them down. As Nikki learns about the Brothers, she ends up uncovering the truth about the tragic death of a local woman.

I loved getting to know each of the widows in their mischievous workshops and learning about the Sikh community in Southall. Great story, great characters, great fun – this book will definitely have you laughing.

‘I’m not saying your story was wrong. It was just unexpected.’

‘Why?’ Sheena challenged. ‘Because our husbands are gone? Let me tell you, Nikki, we have plenty of experience with desire.’

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me, by Bess Kalb

Your mother was like me, a reader. You were, too, although God knows I never wanted you to be a writer. But I knew you would. I told you, Bessie – you should be a teacher. Make a salary. Have the summers off to travel. But you wouldn’t listen. You never did. Neither did I. That’s what made us friends.

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me

This is a memoir with a difference. Bess Kalb writes in her grandmother’s voice about three (pretty extraordinary) generations of women in her family. From living in New York, Florida, and San Francisco, via Paris, Tel Aviv and Mexico, this book will make you feel like you have travelled the world in its 199 pages.

It is scathingly funny, full to the brim with life, and has such a powerful message about love: it will make you want to get out and see the world, brush up on your knowledge of art and literature, work hard and hug your family. It might also make you cry, but just put your big sunglasses on at the beach and no one will know.

Pretending, by Holly Bourne

This book will light a fire under you: it’s angry and confrontational but such a great read.

Tired of her relationships never working out because men always find fault with her, April creates a fake dating profile for herself under the name of Gretel who she thinks is the perfect woman that all men would want to date. Through this she meets Joshua who seems very keen on Gretel.

But April has unworked through trauma from an ex-boyfriend and as the book progresses she realises she needs to get help for it. The book is such an excellent look at the legacy of trauma and how women try to live with it. It is not an easy read (TW for sexual assault) but it is brilliant. And very funny.

‘…Nothing fazes Gretel. She’s easy-going and laughs all the time, and spends her life going on adventures. No man who dates her ever gets over her. She’s never needy or insecure or jealous and therefore she’s rewarded by the pick of all the men in the universe.’

Megan crosses her arms. ‘She sounds like a right dick.’

Pretending

The Woman in the Window, by A. J. Finn

This is a classic ‘is it really happening or is she making it up?’ kind of twisty thriller. Anna lives with her cat in New York and, following a traumatic event which unfolds throughout the book, has become agoraphobic. She is currently self-medicating on a cocktail of prescription pills and red wine. From the windows in her house she can observe the whole street and takes a keen interest in the goings-on of her neighbours. One night she thinks she witnesses a murder, but when everyone tells her she is lying to gain attention, she is left to piece together what really happened.

Sudden, intense quiet. The world has braked to a halt.

I’m alone, for the first time all day.

I survey the room. The wine bottles, radiant in the slanting sun. The chair angled beside the kitchen table. The cat, patrolling the sofa.

Flecks of dust amble through the light.

I drift to the hall door, lock it, bolt.

Turn to face the room again.

Did that just happen?

What just happened?

The Woman in the Window

I really enjoy this style of story where you don’t know who is lying and who is telling the truth. I nearly always think I have it figured out and then get it wrong. Read this if you enjoyed Girl on a Train or The Push.

Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai, by Nina Mingya Powles

The chef spoons the oil and crispy onions over a thick wad of noodles. The smell reaches the table before the bowl does – rich, warm and bitter, a little sweetness in the tang of soy sauce. I use my chopsticks to mix it all together myself. Then I demolish it. With some practice, I learn not to regret it. I begin to think of those fried spring onions as a genuine part of my daily vegetable intake. I begin to prioritise joy.

Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai

This book is a joy to read from start to finish and one that I will certainly come back to and read again. Nina so perfectly describes food in a way that is not just reciting ingredients or even just describing the taste alone, but she talks about the whole experience of eating and how it can bring forth memories or feelings of belonging or isolation.

Tiny Moons recounts Nina’s journeys between New Zealand and Shanghai as she learns about, and finds her way back to, her Chinese-Malaysian heritage. It is about great food, finding yourself and where you come from, as well as being a fantastic escape to humid and aromatic streets a whole world away.

I hope you like these recommendations! What have been your favourite books this summer?