Top Ten Beach Reads For Men
Ah, summer's here. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, the weather is gorgeous, and the planes flying overhead look mighty tempting. What's nicer than lying on the beach with a book, soaking up the sun and losing yourself in a good book. Kerry's picked her favourite holiday reads for men. Women can check out the Top Ten Beach Reads For Girls. (Of course, there's nothing stopping women enjoying these choices and vice versa!) Why not tell us about your favourites?
The Book of Idle Pleasures by Tom Hodgkinson
A liberating reminder of the pleasure to be found in simple, free, natural acts - from morning sex to skimming stones. Full review...
The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp
A theme park that's a lot like Disneyland has a nightmare when one of its key animal mascots is murdered off duty. But it's just the beginning, and it's up to a pair of hardened cops to get fluffy and solve the escalating crimes that threaten the whole entertainment corporation. A bright and engaging comedy thriller that comes recommended by the Bookbag. Full review...
Crime by Irvine Welsh
A slick, foul-mouthed, violent crime thriller which charges headlong into paedophilia and some dodgy psychology, but still somehow succeeds on several levels. Full review...
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
In a short novella, McEwan manages to fit a record of changing sexual and social mores, an extremely convincing depiction of individuals' inner worlds and a psychological (if not to say physiological) insight so piercing that it gets, almost literally, visceral. Full review...
The Deceived by Brett Battles
A reasonably fast and involved crime thriller moving from the corridors of power in Washington to the backstreet markets of Singapore. Good escapist entertainment. Full review...
The Lost Art by Simon Morden
A roller coaster of a future action-adventure story, with well constructed, fast-paced plot, judicious use made of a host of science fiction devices and larger-than-life characters which may even inspire thought about more serious issues of the use that's made of knowledge and technology, role of religion and colonialism. Highly recommended summer read. Full review...
Breath by Tim Winton
A young boy takes to the surf, faces his fears and slowly enters an adult world he is totally unprepared for. An elegant, powerful narrative takes a deep unexpectedly dark dive into murkier waters. Full review...
Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast
Suiting a man who straddles the Atlantic, Greg Palast occupies a style ground somewhere between Michael Moore (fewer jokes) and John Pilger (more jokes) in this lucid, readable and convincing denouncement of a great deal that's wrong with the world, and in particular with George W Bush and the other movers and shakers among the world's super rich. Full review...
Death Wore White by Jim Kelly
A surprisingly literary crime thriller. Well plotted, with strong characters, but let down by too many seemingly coincidental links between them which make it a touch less realistic than it could have been. Full review...
The Reapers by John Connolly
Connolly's basic idea may be nothing especially new, but The Reapers is a gripping read and has enough fresh features to elevate it above the mundane. Full review...
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