The weather outside is truly delightful and that sand is so inviting. For those of us who inhabit the Southern Hemisphere, stocking up on books to enjoy with a cool beverage that tastes mildly of sunscreen, is par for the course, come summer. We prop our Christmas bloated bodies into the most comfortable position and get stuck into all those books we’ve been meaning to read all year, but never quite got around to.
We asked some of our editors and regular contributors to share what they’ll be reading this summer – beach side, pool side or under the shade of a large tree (you thought I was going to say Coolabah).
Some are hot off the press, some are well loved classics, but they all make for interesting, stimulating reading in their own way. So slip, slop, slap and get reading.
PS: If you really feel inclined, we’d love for you to share the love and knowledge by leaving your suggestions in the form of comments - here at Trespass, we’re always looking for something new to read, particularly if it comes recommended.
Liv Hambrett – Co-Editor in Chief
Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwall
Reason: Twenty years after Patricia Cornwall kicked off the forensic thriller genre, she’s back with her enduring heroine, Kay Scarpetta. Scarpetta is as enigmatic as ever, with a growing fan base thanks to her now regular appearances on CNN, and because it’s not a Scarpetta novel without someone becoming obsessed with the comely morgue siren, she finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation, courtesy of a possibly deluded dwarf. As with everything Cornwall pens, this is pacey, un-put-downable and chock full of genuine psychological insights and facts (which, for a former psych nerd like me, is heaven).
The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll
Reason: This charming debut novel was the sleeper hit of 2008, and Andrew Nicholl is the name on everybody’s lips (and it sounds far more attractive in a Scottish burr, so try and remember that every time you say it). The Good Mayor is a love story set in the tiny town of Dot, in a forgotten part of the Baltic. Adding to the romance is the classic writer’s tale of repeated rejection, with Nicholl’s dream rescued at the eleventh hour by an independent Scottish publisher (a la JK Rowling).
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
Reason: Lamb has a way of pulling you into his characters by the scruff of your neck, and putting you firmly in their world, with their problems and no escape route. In his first novel in ten years (the 700+ page tome makes up for his decade long absence) Lamb explores ‘the consequences of war and violence on human lives blown irrevocably of course.’ A high school shooting, traumatising his wife so badly she is unable to recover, is just one layer of Caelum Quirk’s story. His past, his family’s past and the emergence of long-buried secrets makes this a journey you want to go on with him, even if you have to take a break every now and then.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence
Reason: I feel this novel is the smart woman’s Mills & Boons. And yes I am getting egged as I say that, by angry readers and Lawrence lovers around the world. When I say ‘smart woman’s Mills & Boons’ I say it with a large grain of salt, and safe in the knowledge you all know this novel goes well and truly beyond that dubious title, and most probably shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as M&B. Regardless, this saucy book, filled with longing and lust, is the perfect beach read and a classic to boot. I shall be reading with relish.
The Juice 2009; the best wines to drink this year by Matt Skinner
Reason: I got given this little wine guide for Christmas by our very own Music Ed, who is encouraging my noble pursuit of becoming better versed in wine. I plan on being able to distinguish aromas after one inhalation. And yes I will swill my glass and I will 
say ‘mmmm, delicate strains of oak.’ And you will want to punch me.
Emotional Intelligence by David Goleman
Reason: I bought this book last year, from a quaint little book shop in Kensington, London, and have been meaning to read it ever since. Everybody loves a little psychology with their sun screen.
The Greek Myths by Robert Graves
Reason: To inspire my own creativity.
Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves; Women in Classical Antiquity by Sarah B. Pomeroy
Reason: This ‘groundbreaking’ book deals with the lives of women in Greece and Rome from the fall of Troy to the death of Constantine. It’s a favourite topic and historical period of mine, and this book is incredibly interesting in the light it sheds on the treatment of women during a complex, contradictory age.
Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts both by Roald Dahl
Reason: Nobody does it better. I need to get back to basics.
Plus, the past six issues of US Elle magazine, I haven’t had the time to read; three issues of Vanity Fair, one of Tatler, a British Vogue and a Harpers plus an Australian Vogue, that’s somewhere in the pile.
Sarah Ayoub – Co-Editor in Chief
InStyle Magazine
Reason: I have become obsessed with this title now that Kerri Alcorn is heading it up. It might have something to do with my addiction to Shop – they are becoming very similar.
This Charming Man by Marian Keyes
Reason: A tale of a cheating politician and the women surrounding him. Perfect for when you can’t muster energy for trashy TV summer repeats.
Madam Bovary by Gustav Flaubert
Reason: I need a classic to brighten up my dull, partied-out brain. A story that caused a stir in its heyday and still whirs the odd gasp of shock here and now.
The Luminous Life of Lily Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin
Reason: A turn of the century epic about a flapper flitting through the curses and blessings of love, life and friendship.
Samuel Webster - Senior Writer & Web Editor
Identity by Milan Kundera
Reason: Identity is the story of two lovers who try to spice up their love life on the sly. As a novella, it’s an easy read and provides some interesting insight to the way the mind works. Set on the beach, the scenario couldn’t be more perfect as you imagine yourself walking the boardwalk and stealing looks from unsuspecting strangers and would-be lovers.
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Reason: Barack is the new B-lack. Impress the moderate Australians who cheered for Barack for no other reason than he wasn’t an old white guy. You don’t actually have to read this one so much as leave it next to you with the cover facing up.
2009 Best Australian Short Stories published by Black Inc.
Reason: Black Inc’s collection is a great way to see the massive writing talent that exists within Australia. The title says it all, stories which are interesting and engaging, but with a length that suits the ‘time-before-burn’ period of Australia’s harsh sun.
Andy Geeves - Regular Contributor
Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis
Reason: With a tendency to devour whole Bret Easton Ellis novels in an afternoon, this tops my summer reading list. I get lost in the vividly vacuous worlds B.E.E. creates and love how his seamlessly crafted antitheses to consumerist culture effortlessly blur the line between reality and fantasy.
The Atheist Book of Spirituality by Andre Comte-Sponville
Reason: The Book of Atheist Spirituality – Drawn to this book like a moth to a lamp due to the juxtaposition of two increasingly popular terms that don’t make good bedfellows in the title and small-life-question chapter names such as “Can We Do Without Religion?”, “Does God Exist?” and “Can There Be An Athiest Spirituality?”
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Reason: The founder of Gonzo journalism hunts down the American Dream amongst the lights of Las Vegas, a red Chevy convertible and an inventory of mind-altering substances large enough to kill a pack of rhinos. Could any novel be more suited to summer escapism?
Waiter Rant; Behind the Scenes of Eating Out by A. Waiter
Reason: Described as a front-of-house version of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and stemming from the acid-tongued blog of the same name, this ‘anonymous’ behind the scenes account of what really happens in a top New York restaurant looks sure to entertain.
The Death of Sigmund Freud by Mark Edmundson
Reason: Profiles the overlap between the last couple of years of Freud’s life and Hitler’s rise to power, using this to examine Freud’s take on totalitarian leaders and the implications this holds for fundamentalism today. Probably not the lightest of summer reads but Edmunson’s writing style is completely engaging.
Special Summer Nerd Reading by Various Authors
Reason: A million journal articles, book chapters and books on embodied cognition – sure it’s for uni and sure it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but there’s something strangely intriguing about the interaction between mind and body in thought processes and how this ties in with perception, action and behaviour. And reading about it by the beach sure beats being a desk jockey.
Sandi Tighello - Contributor
Lessons Of A Lipstick Queen: Finding And Developing The Great Idea That Can Change Your Life by Poppy King
Reason: Ahh, Poppy. I remember being fourteen and collecting my pennies, saving so hard, to purchase a glorious pot of your amazing lip gloss. The shine. The colour. The long lasting goodness. How I’ve missed you. And now, you’re back. Not just on our lips. Your new book is being hailed as the empowering read of 2009. Your comeback, from the brink of financial ruin and a terrible bout of depression, to lipstick queen once again is one I cannot wait to learn more about. Your tips and suggestions, on getting your life and business into full gear, may just be the kick start I need at the beginning of a new year.
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Reason: Every year, every summer, every person should read a book that slightly holds them in awe, that quietly inspires a whirlwind inside them, that honestly transfixes them – each and every single time they read it. On The Road is that book for me. An oldie, but a damn goodie.
I Hate Cinderella by Amanda Cole
Reason: A book I’ve been desperate to pick up – and just haven’t managed to yet. This Summer I’ll be lying on a beach reading this tale of lost love and a broken heart with gusto – not because I’m anywhere near experiencing a broken heart and a nasty break up – a newly engaged gal shouldn’t even dream of such a scenario, but because any story that reignites passion, and that reaffirms self worth, is a story I love lapping up.
Reporting America: The Life Of A Nation 1946-2004 by Alistair Cooke
Reason: I find American history, particularly its modern history, fascinating. I love it. And my favourite time in America has been covered by a man who adopted the American nation as his own, so great was his love for it, a man of great decency. A liberal humanist who was there through the thick and thin of it, who wrote articles and letters – hundreds and hundreds of them – that one day became a book. A book I cannot wait to devour. Every writer has a voice and I want to be swept away by a booming one, one that speaks plainly but with great intellect, one that simplifies the jargon and just writes. Cooke, for me, does that. And I’ve only ever read a few of his articles. Imagine my praise for him after reading his collection.
