4 Books to Get Lost in on Family Getaways This Summer

The summer holidays are almost upon us! And when they roll around, many parents will finally get the opportunity to go on holiday, relax, and read a book! Many of us take these things for granted, so if you only get a few opportunities to do this, here are 3 books that are worth your time.

The City & The City – China Mieville

China Mieville has a flair for the surreal. His books are a blend of science fiction and urban fantasy. At the heart of The City & The City is a murder mystery and the story follows the investigation from the perspective of inspector Tyador Borlu. What sets this book apart, and makes it such an indulging read, is its unique setting and premise. Without wanting to spoil any plot details, as it is a book best experienced fresh, the author expertly sets up the city of Beszel to be a world within a world.

Altered Carbon – Richard K Morgan

Recently turned into a, very different, Netflix series, ‘Altered Carbon’ stands out as one of the most original and engaging novels of recent years. Genre-wise, Altered Carbon combines the very best elements of hardboiled detective fiction with sci-fi concepts and imagery that call to mind the likes of Blade Runner. In Altered Carbon’s somewhat dystopian setting, humans are fitted with cortical stacks on their first birthday. These stacks keep a digital backup of the owner’s consciousness, which can then be transferred between bodies, which are known as ‘sleeves’.

An ex-special forces mercenary is pulled out of storage and sleeved into the body of a local cop in order to solve the murder of a wealthy aristocrat. Altered Carbon is as much a book about the allegiance we feel to our bodies, the link between body and mind, and what it means to be human in an increasingly digitized world, as it is about the gripping murder mystery at its center.

1984 – George Orwell

If you haven’t read 1984 by now, well, there is no excuse! If you have read it, you probably didn’t pick it up from the science-fiction section. Like other genres, including horror and romance, when a book achieves mainstream success in one of these genres, it suddenly is considered ‘too literary’ to sit outside the general fiction section. Regardless, 1984 is a work of science-fiction, and a very important one at that. If you don’t know the plot of 1984, you will already be familiar with terms like ‘big brother’, ‘war is peace, freedom is slavery.’ The book is eminently quotable, and its ideas have informed political discourse for decades.

Survival Guides

The above books are all an excellent way to immerse yourself while the kids enjoy the sun. However, you don’t want to spend all of your holiday hiding from the kids! You can buy a variety of survival guides, which offer excellent bonding activities, and the opportunity to teach your children practical skills about the outdoors. You can find similar ideas for such activities over at Momwithaprep.com.

Summer is the best time to kick back and relax with a great book and an ice-cold drink. The books on this list will all make for excellent escape routes for any parent on a family holiday this summer.