30 best holiday books for £4.99 or less!
Looking to fill your kindle with some top reads for the summer?From classics to contemporary fiction; travelogues to vampirical tales, chic-lit to hist-fict – pick up your holiday reading here!
99p and under
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens
77p
Arguably the greatest English language novel, it is the timeless story of Pip, the boy who rises through society, only to find that true happiness eludes him. Unforgettable characters such as Magwitch the criminal, Estella, the girl taught never to love, and of course the ghostly Miss Haversham, make this an indispensable purchase for any e-reader.
Ten Years On
Alice Peterson
99p
An unexpected tragedy takes Rebecca back to her parents' home, and back into the life of her first love, Joe. A decade has passed. What secrets are there, still to be discovered? A poignant story of loss, love and forgiveness that moves beyond the over-used 'chick-lit' label.
Life...With No Breaks
Nick Spalding
99p
Nick Spalding tried to write a book in 24 hours...it took 30! This is a uniquely funny collection of anecdotes and stories, drafted in a non-stop haze of caffeine and nicotine. Sitting at his laptop, Spalding pours out a stream-of-consciousness essay about what it is to be him, now. He wants you along for the ride, and he'll provide the cookies.
The Girl Who Came Home
Hazel Gaynor
99p
Subtitled 'A Titanic Novel', Hazel Gaynor offers a new perspective on the most famous maritime disaster. Inspired by Irish emigrants who were aboard the doomed liner, her novel explores the effects of the sinking on the survivors and their families. Spanning seventy years, it is a story of love and forgiveness.
The Phoenix Conspiracy
Richard L. Sanders
Free
A sci-fi conspiracy theory, with werewolves and vampires thrown in for good measure. Some self-published novels are worth reading. If you like your fiction to rattle along, are prepared to suspend belief and you don't mind a few typos, this is a great book. And it's free to download. More in the series are planned.
South: The Story of Shackleton's 1914-1917 Expedition
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton
Free
Next time you're sat at Heathrow moaning about a delayed flight, dip into this classic account of raw human endurance in Antarctica. The queue for a cappuccino won't seem quite as daunting. Shackleton was a true Boy's Own hero. He tells the story of his men's suffering with a typically Edwardian stiff-upper lip. Brilliant stuff.
The Golden Acorn: The Adventures of Jack Brenin
Catherine Cooper
Free
JK Rowling changed the rules of children's novels. Suddenly, it was acceptable for parents to read them as well. With this lovely story, Catherine Cooper accepts the challenge of appealing to all ages, and succeeds with aplomb. There's a quest, dragons, strange lands and enough action to keep you interested. Two further books are available in the series.
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
Free
The Grandaddy of all adventure books, with a story that fairly flies along. Who can forget Captain Flint, terrifying even in death, the Black Spot, tough little Jim Hawkins, and of course, the archetypal pirate villain, Long John Silver himself? Forget Johnny Depp – this is the real deal.
Eye of the Needle
Ken Follett
89p
This classic 1978 spy thriller is available at a ridiculously low price, so download and enjoy. It's 1944, and an Allied victory is uncertain. The Needle, Germany's best spy, must steal the plans for D-Day and get them to Hitler. As he runs out of places to hide, he meets Lucy, on Storm Island...
Obsessive Compulsive Cycling Disorder
Dave Barter
77p
Dave Barter is a normal bloke with an abnormal passion for cycling. He shares his thoughts on his sport and on life in general. You don't need to have an interest in cycling to enjoy this, but you might develop one by the end. A gently humorous and very British book.
£1.99 and under
The Nightmare Stone
Finian Black
£1.29
Proving that self-published novels can cut it with the best, this debut is a supernatural thriller with a genuinely original literary twist. A family come into money, they buy a big old house, it's owned by a spooky old lady. You get the picture. Less about horror, more about the true nature of relationships. Highly recommended.
Are We Nearly There Yet? A Family's 8000 miles Around Britain in a Vauxhall Astra
Ben Hatch
£1.99
'Ben Hatch makes me laugh', says John Cleese. And he should know a bit about humour. A wonderful, moving, hilarious and poignant account of a round-Britain trip with young children, as Ben and his wife visit hotels and attractions for a guide book publisher. You'll never look at your toothbrush in the same way again.
The Radleys
Matt Haig
£2.69
If you think you've had your fill of vampire novels, think again. Forget those angst-ridden American bloodsuckers, Matt Haig gives us the suburban, middle class British version. And he delivers in style, with an acerbic look at what it is to be different, when everybody expects you to be the same. His prose fizzes along, the characters are nicely drawn. A great read.
Confessions of a GP
Benjamin Daniels
£1.99
Ever wondered what your doctor really thinks of you? Well, after reading this humorous account of what it is to be a GP in the much-maligned NHS, you might look at him or her in a different light. Dr Daniels' compassion and dedication are obvious, even when his patients drive him to distraction. Very funny.
Better Days Will Come
Pam Weaver
£1.99
A good, old fashioned tear-jerking novel about life just after the war and into the fifties. Slow to get into its stride, but when it does, Pam Weaver conjures up a gritty story of family hardship, love, murder and ultimately redemption. Fans of Call The Midwife will love it.
Exile in the Promised Land
Steve Mifflin
£2.63
A book about football, but not just for football fans. Steve Mifflin describes the highs and lows as his team, Stoke City, gate crash the Premier League for the first time. It's a story of disasters and ultimate triumph, against a backdrop of weddings, long car journeys and long-suffering spouses, all told with self-deprecating honesty.
The Fear Index
Robert Harris
£2.79
Robert Harris has consistently produced quality novels for twenty years, and with The Fear Index, he delivers again. It's a thriller about high finance, set over a single day. Paranoia leaches from every page. In a way, it's a parable for the modern age, and a steal at this price.
The Valley of Heaven and Hell – Cycling in the Shadow of Marie-Antoinette
Susie Kelly
£2.27
A fourth travelogue from Susie Kelly, and a gentle tale of her journey through the Marne valley. It's a mixture of history and travel, exploring the escape route of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI as the French revolution raged. Mixing genuinely funny writing with informative prose, this is a must-read for those travelling to this part of France.
Backpacked: A Reluctant Trip Across Central America
Catherine Ryan Howard
£2.05
The anecdotes of an extremely reluctant backpacker who joins her friend on a whim, rather than return to Ireland after a year working in and around DisneyWorld. The tales of mutant cockroaches and horse rides up smoking volcanoes are told with Catherine's usual dry wit and clever turn of phrase. Very enjoyable.
Rough Cut
Owen Carey-Jones
£1.99
Want exotic locations (including Yorkshire!), diamond heists, nasty villains and a bit of romance thrown in? Then this is the rollercoaster thriller for you, from BAFTA member Owen Carey-Jones. The prose is racy, the dialogue just the right side of cheesy. Guilty pleasure for less than £2.
£4.99 or less
For Fukui's Sake: Two Years in Rural Japan
Sam Baldwin
£3.99
Chucking in his job, Sam enters the weird and wonderful world of rural Japan for a two year stay teaching English. He regales us with wonderfully entertaining stories of samurai sword sharpening, rice-paddy skiing and the reassuringly idiosyncratic nature of the people he meets. A book for anyone who has ever felt as if they should be somewhere else. Highly recommended.
About Last Night
Adele Parks
£4.49
How far would you go for a friend? As far as providing an alibi, without knowing why? Adele Parks' eleventh, and perhaps most ambitious novel, explores the nature of friendship in a narrative-heavy way, spread over five days. Always so much more than a 'chick-lit' author, this is a story of genuine quality and depth.
The Passage
Justin Cronin
£4.99
A publishing phenomenon when first released, Justin Cronin's novel of post-apocalyptic America is a tour-de-force. Drawing its inspiration from works as diverse as Lord Of The Rings and Stephen King's The Stand, be prepared to disappear in to 785 pages of exquisite prose, wonderful characterisation and superb narrative. The sequel is due in October.
Stranger in the House
Julie Summers
£4.99
From 1945, more than four million British servicemen returned from across a war-torn world. They came back to a very different country to the one they had left behind. Children had grown up, wives had moved on; post-traumatic stress disorder was years from being recognised. This is the women's story – heart wrenching, humbling but also fascinating.
Coming Back To Me: The Autobiography of Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick
£4.99
In the middle of the 2006/07 Ashes tour of Australia, Marcus Trescothick shocked the sporting world by returning home, suffering from deep and chronic clinical depression. This frank and compelling account of his life, sport and illness shines a light on the pressures of international sport, and why those who compete are very human, too.
Swallows and Amazons
Arthur Ransome
£4.94
Before Health & Safety took over, children could roam freely for hours through sun-drenched fields, make fires, swim in lakes and sleep under the stars. Was it ever really like that? Probably not, but Ransome's timeless classic takes us back to when it may just have been possible. The child in all of us will be re-awakened by the adventures of the young swallows and amazons.
Faraway
Lucy Irvine
£4.94
Lucy Irvine, the original castaway, travelled to a remote corner of the Solomon Islands to tell the story of a remarkable woman, former Vogue model Diana Hepworth who turned her back on 'civilisation' fifty years ago. More than a biography, this is a vivid portrait of people, family and the longest journey of all, the search for oneself.
A Place in My Country: In Search of the Rural Dream
Ian Walthew
£4.99
A burned out marketing executive buys his own little corner of the countryside to live the rural dream. Except this is so much more than another essay about the country for townies. Whilst touching on his own personal tragedies, Walthew draws parallels with the slow demise of country life. A beautiful and haunting book.
The Legend of Colton Bryant
Alexandra Fuller
£4.99
A strange and lyrical book, Alexandra Fuller explores the true story of the life and untimely death of a young oil rig worker in Wyoming. Fuller's prose sweeps us to a landscape both harsh and beautiful. Colton's lasting legacy should be a greater understanding of what it is to be a working man in a world where work is hard to find.
The Cry of the Go-Away Bird
Andrea Eames
£4.49
The story of a young girl, growing up in Zimbabwe. Her love for the country of her birth is challenged as the political situation deteriorates. Blacks want the land back, whites have no intention of giving up what they see as theirs. An assured debut novel, gripping and memorable.
