Hi loves!
So, Iāve been surrounded by this gorgeous view for a month now and Iām honestly so grateful for that. Itās beautiful, idyllic and a paradise. Yet, I have more pressing matters at the forefront of my mindā¦ books. Whenever I see a book leave a beach bag, Iām looking to see a) what it is and b) if they are enjoying it. I have that genuine fear of missing out on a good read.
This has led me to think about why people read the type of books they do on holiday. How do they make their choices? What leads them to pick those specific titles?
Well, this has been going round in my head for a few days now and has now turned into a little sun lounger activity of mineā¦ First of all, itās really pleasing to see just how many people, on the loungers have been adorned with towels, start reading. Thereās books everywhere! Always a paperback, never a hardback and only one Kindle. I can totally relate to this; I only packed paperbacks, had my Kindle in hand luggage but didnāt actually use it. In fact, itās still in flight mode. Hmmm.
The hotel had a bookcase in reception which was very pleasing! I had a little look here and it followed the same pattern: paperbacks, no hardbacks at all. However, there were some larger paperbacks. These were all Grisham. I saw a lot of Grisham on the loungers along with James Patterson. These were the top two authors by a long way. (Embarrassingly, I didnāt read any of Grisham or Patterson!)
In terms of books that I saw multiple people read, this was terribly interesting! They were Tysonās Furyās Between the Mask and Ant Middletonās First Man In. Non-fiction! I didnāt expect to see that… In fact, the Tyson Fury book was my mumās and she felt chuffed that others had taken it from the hotel bookshelf.
Repeat ātake outsā gave me another train of thought. I read (and thoroughly adored) The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. When I saw that someone else had picked this off the shelf, I felt exactly like my mum did, like I made a good choice. It made me feel validated and like my recommendations could be trusted. Isnāt that silly? I feel silly writing itā¦
Overwhelmingly, the main genre I saw was crime and thriller. I totally understand that! Itās my favourite after all. But for summer? Where were all the romance novels? The chic lit?
I read one, Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly which was stunningly beautiful and had me sobbing on my lounger. But this was the only one I saw. Where are the other people sobbing at a good love story? I did spot that this book was moving further back on the hotel bookcase too. But why is that? I always thought summer was about the soppy love novels that were only bearable because of that very reason – the fact that it is summer. Thereās something about the smell of suncream that makes me think thisā¦ When you know, you knowā¦
Also, there was a distinct lack of female authors too. I helpfully added to that with my own pile. Writers like Liza Jewell, Jenny Han, Jane Corey and Michele Campbell vacationed with me and are all there waiting to be discovered by the next reader.
So, why do we read the things we do on holiday? What is a typical ābeach readā and are they changing? What have you spotted? For me, it was all my paperbacks that didnāt fit on the bookcase. How do you pick yours though?
Until next time, when Iām back in the UK!
Big Love xxx
booksandbakes1 