Here are the best books to read while on the beach this summer. Photo: AFP / Mathieu Thomasset
No more spreadsheets, no more "docs", no more written warnings from your boss.
Work's out for summer and most of us just want a competently written page-turners to chill with in between swims at the beach, or under a tree, or from the camp chair.
We're not talking necessarily the best, weightiest, or fanciest-looking books of the year, we're talking something you can appreciate while operating on the most basic levels of brain function.
They have to be compelling, but not too dark. Ideally they give you something to talk about, but they don't give you nightmares.
Here's what Aotearoa's top bookworms recommend adding to your reading list over the hot summer months.
Fiction
Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout
Carole Beu from The Women's Bookshop has recommended the latest release from American novelist Elizabeth Stout.
"In Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout brings together many of the delightfully eccentric characters from her previous books.
"Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, Bob Burgess - they're all here with their wisdom and foibles, along with the townsfolk of Crosby, Maine.
"There's murder, suicide, love and empathy, and all the messiness of people's lives. Brilliantly witty, wise and tender."
At the Grand Glacier Hotel, by Laurence Fearnley
New Zealand author Laurence Fearnley's latest novel comes highly recommended by Kete Books' Erica Stretton.
"There's this idea that summer reads should be light, and refreshing, and easy to put down and pick up," Stretton says.
"I can see the appeal after a long work year but I like to delve deep into books that take me away somewhere else, in summer - not necessarily a different location, but a world that teaches me something, looks at a situation from a different perspective.
"At the Grand Glacier Hotel is Laurence Fearnley's third novel responding to and exploring the five senses. The interiority of it all reminds the reader we don't always know what others are going through, and the questions it pulls to the surface about how we deal with disability, temporary or otherwise, are relevant and pertinent."
The End of the Beginning, by Jenna Heller
Also recommended by Stretton, The End of the Beginning is a collection of short stories from award-winning Ōtautahi Christchurch writer Jenna Heller.
"The small stories within are visceral, with a strong narrative that makes the reader feel right at home," Stretton says.
"There's no shying away from tough topics but also no holding back from beauty, and each tiny story has its own kick."
Whaea Blue, by Talia Marshall
Another collection of short stories from an acclaimed New Zealand novelist, recommended by Afternoons book reviewer Anna Rankin.
"The debut collection from acclaimed writer Talia Marshall comprises a range of essays that fuse memoir, myth, historical account and whakapapa into an immersive, dazzling fable of a protracted road trip across Aotearoa.
"To read this collection while travelling the island or staying elsewhere from one's known home is not only to reckon with our dark, complicated and often submerged histories and therefore see these lands anew, but to do so with a master storyteller and woman on the edge; a woman who takes the hard road and survives, blessed with rare, valiant and unforgettable insight that enlarges the reader's heart."
Tell Me Everything; At the Grand Glacier Hotel; and Whaea Blue: Eccentric characters, exploring the five senses, and a road trip across Aotearoa Photo: RNZ
Non-fiction
Unreel: A Life in Review, by Diana Wichtel
Another must-read recommend from Beu at The Women's Book Shop.
"The former revered and reviled TV critic for The Listener has lost none of her unique, acerbic wit that gained her such esteemed status among discerning Kiwi TV viewers," she says.
"Part autobiography, part survey of our historical relationship with 'the box', her incredibly funny book illuminates real life as much as the imitations of it on TV."
Becoming Aotearoa, by Michael Belgrave
The latest major work of New Zealand history is out now from Massey University's newly titled professor emeritus Michael Belgrave, and is another of Rankin's top picks for summer.
"Not since Michael King's Penguin History of New Zealand has a historian tackled a definitive account of Aotearoa, and Belgrave's provision to the canon 20 years later is a destined classic vast in scope that traverses early Māori histories across generations into the contemporary moment.
"A hefty tome, the book clocks in at 600-odd pages which makes it the ideal accompaniment to the languid afternoons of summer, where readers can peruse each chapter at their leisure and wander through various Māori, settler and migrant narratives not only fascinating on their own merits but which illuminate where we are today."
Graphic novels and comics
Stu and Sue from the always reliable Heroes For Sale sent through some tips for those of us who enjoy art as well as words.
"There have been some incredible New Zealand creators coming through in the graphic novels," Sue told us.
Recommended books include:
Our Bones Dust, by Ben Stenbeck
"We may be slightly biased on this one because we think Ben is already a superstar!" Sue says.
"He has worked with Mike Mignola in the Hellboy universe for many years, but this is his first big independent comic. Our Bones Dust is a sci-fi adventure wrapped up in some high-concept ideas and smothered with gorgeous, detailed art that explodes the world-building on an epic level."
Machines of Mana -The Aberrant Spark by Joshua Caccamo, Greig Roulston, Jordan Taylor and Colton Organ
"Machines of Mana is a sci-fi mash with fantasy and dystopian themes. It is the first in a saga that spans time travel, exploring ideas around AI and survival. It takes you on a trip into a future that in some predictions seems inevitable!
"A gorgeous exploration of sentience vs programs in robots and the evolution that might occur."
The Writing Desk, by Di Morris
"An incredible historical peek into pioneering New Zealanders and what global forces 'exert' on our little country.
"This story highlights the pressures faced by colonial women and the changes allowing education and voting rights for everyone.
"We follow generations in one family from the 1850s, and their navigation of society's evolution is fascinating. Di uses birth certificates and death certificates along with other memorabilia to weave this generational story."
Unreel: A Life in Review; The Writing Desk; and Becoming Aotearoa: kiwi stories as autobiography, graphic novel, and meticulously researched work of history. Photo: RNZ
Science fiction and fantasy
Also courtesy of Heroes for Sale, these latest works of wonder are perfect for taking your summer reading into realms far beyond the barbie.
Luda, by Grant Morrison
"Morrison is a writer who embeds himself in the story and the writing takes on an interdimensional feel.
"It is a lived, very real space. Luda is the story of a drag performer, a femme fatale, a monster and one of the most mesmerising characters I have ever read!" Sue says.
"The layers will have you tangled, and the language is delicious! Descriptive moments drip onto your skin, and you can feel the smear of the makeup as the façade is applied."
The Serpent and the Moon, by Alan Moore
"This is a workbook of exceptional beauty and wonderful exposition.
"If you have ever wondered about the layers of existence and the magical elements of the unexplained this might be for you.
"After all, if magic is just the left-over debris from the Big Bang, and therefore just unexplained yet, who is to say it doesn't exist?
"A deep dive into the moments we should pay more attention to and have some fun in the celebration of that. This is Alan Moore's explanation of magical connection as lived in his world."
Romance, hubba hubba, and smut
Finally, there's nothing like a summer fling to turn up the heat. Kelly from Romance Writers New Zealand has served up some spicy selections for you to lap up under the mistletoe.
Corkscrew You, by Catherine Robertson
"Catherine Robertson does some wonderful small town spicy romantic comedies," Kelly says.
"In Corkscrew You, the only way Shelby can save her family's failing winery is to listen to Nate, the grumpy, know-it-all business manager - and chaos and love ensue!"
I Love Flirting With Forever, series by Kate O'Keefe
"Kate O'Keefe writes fun, flirty, sweet romantic comedy. Her I love her Flirting With Forever series (starts with One Last First Date) and her Royally Kissed series (starts with The Backup Princess) offer the perfect vibes if you like your summer extra steamy."
How to Get a Girlfriend When You're a Terrifying Monster, by Marie Cardno
"A lovely sweet sapphic romance about, well, what to do when the love of your life has tentacles," Kelly says. I can confidently predict they'll find a way to make it work.
Fangs for Nothing, by Steffanie Holmes
"This is a fun, cosy, spicy paranormal romance that follows Winnie, a professional organiser who can't deal with mess, who moves to a remote gothic castle to help Alaric, a grumpy, aloof, 500-year-old vampire declutter from centuries of obsessive artistic hobbies."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
