It’s that time of year when we all start thinking about some time away from the routines of work, school, and the big C (Commitments). Reading a good book will help you to escape your immediate world for a while.

• Go to different worlds, some that are more exciting than your own.
• Meet new characters, some that you wish you could meet, and some that you’re happy to leave between the covers of the book.
• Have a holiday romance (talking about between the covers) – a smattering of romance adds the feel-good factor.

Out of 100 books I’ve read this year, I’ve chosen 5 books that I think could fit the bill. Impossible, right? And that’s why there’s more than 5 books in this list.

In no particular order:

• Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild, Hachette An unputdownable psychological thriller. Ruby Simon is a therapist living in Miami. She has been involved in at least three murders and perhaps a fourth. Detective Keith Jackson is convinced she is guilty and he goes to great lengths to prove it. BOOK SNAPS post here.
• Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel, Pan Macmillan An intriguing storyline, taking you to places you’ve never been. Set over thousands of years, Olive Llewellyn is touring a pandemic-ravaged Earth to promote her book. Hundreds of years later, a person named after a character in Olive’s book is investigating an unsettling phenomenon experienced by others over the centuries. BOOK SNAPS post here.
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Penguin This book is enjoyable on so many levels – an original plot, fascinating characters, whip-smart dialogue, and a feel-good finish. Elizabeth Zott is a scientist working in a research laboratory. After she becomes a single mother she believes her life is over, and she takes a job as a presenter on a cooking show. Her approach does not fit the traditional role of women, and taking a scientific perspective on the television show, she teaches women not only cooking, but also chemistry, and how to stand up for themselves. BOOK SNAPS post here.
• The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian Penguin Random House A gripping thriller with graphic descriptions of violence. Hollywood actress Katie Barstow is honeymooning with her husband and a group of friends in the Serengeti, Tanganyika in 1964. Their group is violently kidnapped by Russian mercenaries. BOOK SNAPS post here.
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Penguin A relaxing book to read, even though it is set against a very dark period of Russian history. In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is detained by the Bolsheviks for being an “unrepentant aristocrat” and sentenced to house arrest in an attic room of the Metropol Hotel, Moscow. The story tells of his daily life and relationships with hotel staff and guests for the next few decades. Watch out for the Apple TV series starring Kenneth Branaugh. BOOK SNAPS post here.
• Five Bush Weddings by Clare Fletcher Penguin A romantic comedy that is a very enjoyable read. Stevie is a young wedding photographer specializing in bush weddings. She bemoans the fact that she is still single and as she sinks further into despair, her life becomes derailed. BOOK SNAPS post here.