Summer Wanderlust Reading List

Every summer I put a little reading list together of books I want to read preferably outdoors in the sunshine and enjoy the simple pleasure of long summer days with a good piece of literature. This year my reading list is made up of 5 very unique books that are set in different parts of the world and I know will make a great travel companion for our summer adventures.

1. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - another brilliant book published by Penguin and a real page turner. It's the first on my list and I am half way through and cannot put it down. A story of a mum Jane who had just moved to a new town and the mothers she meets at her son's new school. There is a rather large cast but the main focus is on three ladies who are from very different backgrounds but are connected by their children all starting school at the same time. Everyone has secrets to hide while rumours start to fly, with a murder mystery thrown into the mix this makes for exciting reading.

2. Sweet Dreams, Little one by Massimo Gramellini - one of the most successful books to come out of Italy in the last year. It starts off with a deeply saddening event and then continues to follow the story of Massimo, a young Italian boy on his journey into adulthood and coming to terms with grief and bereavement.

3. How Low Can you go by Tom Chesshyre - this is the only non-fiction book in my list and I started reading it a few years ago but due to finishing a degree at the time I only got about half way and have wanted to read it ever since. It follows travel writer Tom Chesshyre on his mission to visit a dozen Eastern european destinations for as little as possible by bagging tickets on sale from no-frills airlines to far flung and hard to pronounce places such as Szczecin, Paderborn and Tampere to name a few, while experiencing some unusual sights such as ultra-cheap dentists in Poland or stag nights in Estonia.

4. Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif - based in Karachi, Pakistan this follows the story of Alice, a junior nurse, ex-prisoner and part-time healer who comes to work at The Sacred Heart Hospital for All Ailments. The hospital is crowded and patients littering the corridors, with her nurses manual in hand and unorthodox ways this book also revolves around a love story as well as being highlights to minorities living in Pakistan  

5. The little coffee shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriquez - first of all Kabul is a city I would truly love to visit one day (when it's safe to do so) and I am very fascinated with this ancient and historical part of the world. This book is based around the story of five ladies from very different backgrounds who form a unique bond in this coffee shop in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Its a story of strength, sisterhood and survival.

What is on your summer reading list?