Floom's Holiday Reading List

Despite the inevitable influx of envy-inducing holiday snaps on your Instagram feed, Summer is only just getting started. Remember, the best is yet to come. Whether you’ve opted for a staycation (here’s hoping the heatwave is here to stay), or you’re about to embark on an adventure to a far-flung destination – what better way to enjoy the sunshine than with a book – and perhaps a frozen beverage – in hand?

Here’s a handy hit list of recently released reads on our radar for the lazy days that lie ahead.

1. Crudo, Olivia Laing

From the author of The Lonely City, comes a scorching summer read – a story written in “real-time” by author, travel writer, critic and memoirist – an insider and an outsider – Olivia Laing. Crudo is her debut novel, except she writes it as the late American Writer Kathy Acker, an author who’s also known for her work writing as others in order to challenge the constructs of authorship. It centres around all that she did last summer – a journey that switches between a raw and funny account of love, loss and her summer wedding and the inescapable cultural and political sins of 2017.

2. The Multi-Hyphen Method, Emma Gannon

What better to read while lounging on a beach sipping a frozen margarita than a book that’s going to help hit a happy balance all year long? If the title doesn’t pull you in, the topics covered will. From money matters and passion projects, to workplace ethics, stress and mental health, Emma Gannon’s words of wisdom could just be the kick you’ve been waiting for to make the changes your career has been craving.

3. Forgotten Women, Zing Tsjeng

Technically speaking, this isn’t a single book, it’s four – but we’re not complaining. Written by Broadly’s UK Editor Zing Tsjeng, Forgotten Women is a series of books that celebrates the lost stories of influential and inspiring females who dedicated their lives to championing change. It’s split into the The Writers, The Leaders, The Artists, The Scientists – take your pick…

4. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner

While a tale of murder doesn’t scream summer holiday smiles, twice National Book Award-nominated author Rachel Kushner’s newest release The Mars Room is a must read. Her tale of a mother gone off the rails – about to serve two life sentences at Stanville Women's Correctional Facility, deep in California's Central Valley for the murder of her stalker – will have you gripped from cover to cover.

5. Tomorrow Will Be Different, Sarah McBride

As we support a very important event, Pride, it’s fitting that transgender activist Sarah McBride’s memoir is top of our reading list. It’s one of encouragement, empowerment, heartbreak and always hope. Realising how much her personal story could help the country, McBride was the first transgender person to speak at a national political convention in 2016 at the age of just 26. Since, she’s used her platform to fight for equality. Tomorrow Will Be Different provides an empowering and informative insight into the LGBTQ community’s battle for equal rights.