Our staff share the books they’re planning to read over summer.

‘As usual, I’ll be spending the summer catching up on everything I missed during the year. So far on my pile I’ve got Elspeth Muir’s Wasted, Rajith Savanadasa’s Ruins, Sean Rabin’s Wood Green and Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, just to name a few!’ – Alan Vaarwerk, editorial assistant for Readings Monthly

‘I’m hoping to read all the unread books on my shelves at home this summer. Some have been languishing there for years, and others are more recent. I’d like to get through Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Under the Visible Life by Kim Echlin and Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. I’m also coveting two newer releases (and will probably purchase them both soon…): Swing Time by Zadie Smith and Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien.’ – Leanne Hall, children’s and YA bookseller

‘Over summer I’m going to tackle Kerry O'Brien’s Keating, which has been sitting on my bedside table for the last 12 months, almost mocking me for reading more trivial and less important books, as only Keating could. I imagine this to be a complex and difficult read, much like the man himself, and while it’s possibly not one for a lazy afternoon reclining on the beach, I do feel it’s time.’ – Anthony Shaw, project manager

‘In the wake of the US election – and after a year spent reading primarily Australian fiction – I’m looking forward to getting stuck into some books that might help me better understand the state of America right now. After hearing rave reviews from colleagues, The Mothers, The Sellout and Homegoing are all on my list. All three novels are sitting on my to-be-read pile, alongside some notable nonfiction titles: Hillbilly Elegy, Negroland and Evicted.’

‘I also have a pile of books by authors I’ve been lucky enough to see at literary events this year and haven’t yet read, including The Bricks that Built the Houses by Kate Tempest, The Odd Woman and The City by Vivian Gornick, The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower, and Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner . Hopefully in 2017 I’ll be a faster reader.’ – Stella Charls, marketing and events coordinator

‘My holiday pick is The Nix by Nathan Hill, mainly because my colleague Nina recommended it and I always love what Nina recommends (e.g. Love Nina by Nina Stibbe, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, etc..). I’ve really come to enjoy ambitious contemporary American literature in the last couple of years and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into this substantial book when I have a few days off.’ – Jan Lockwood, human resources manager

‘Bring on a day with nothing to do but read. At the top of my stack is Today will be Different by Maria Semple. Semple is quick, fun and deadly accurate. She writes wonderfully readable books and her quirky narratives always ring true. It is no surprise to me at all that she helped write Arrested Development, which is one of my all-time favourite shows. (Can I please take a moment to remind you all of the Mexican wall scenes in this show?)’ – Chris Gordon, events manager

‘My ambitious summer reading list includes Nina Stibbe’s Love, Nina (a memoir told in letters that sounds charming and funny), The Witches by Stacy Schiff (a history of the Salem witch trials that sounds utterly chilling), The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (an immersive deep dive into the minds of octopuses), The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (one of the most talked-about books of this year), Grunt by Mary Roach (a pop science book about 'curious science of humans at war’), and The Mothers by Brit Bennett (a debut novel that my colleagues have raved about). I did say ambitious right?‘ – Bronte Coates, digital content coordinator

'I’m planning to go home and visit my family for the bulk of my Christmas holidays. This means a lot of lolling about on couches with my nose in a book, so I’m in the process of stockpiling a hefty stack to take away with me. I’ve already got Ben Aaronovitch’s The Hanging Tree, the sixth book in the wonderful Peter Grant series. The best way I can describe this series for newcomers is: The Bill meets The X-Files, as written by Neil Gaiman.’

‘I was inspired by our recent post on sci-fi and fantasy books to read over summer to add Naomi Alderman’s The Power and Yoss’s Super Extra Grande to my wishlist.’

‘I’m also sitting on a copy of The Good People, which was voted one of our top 10 fiction books of 2016 by our staff, and after loving Liane Moriaty’s Truly Madly Deeply, I thought I’d try one of her earlier novels, Big Little Lies, before the HBO series hits.’ – Lian Hingee, digital marketing manager

‘I’m looking forward to catching up on two big award-winning novels that were released this year that I haven’t had a chance to read yet: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (winner of the National Book Award) and The Sellout by Paul Beatty (winner of the Booker Prize).’

‘There are also several highly recommended novels by Australian women I’ve had on my to-read pile all year and never reached: An Isolated Incident by Emily McGuire, Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta, Goodwood by Holly Throsby and The Good People by Hannah Kent. There’s also a US book I’ve been hearing wonderful things about all year, and we now have a local edition available: Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson.’

‘Finally, I have a huge pile of YA novels to get through, including The Diabolic, Our Chemical Hearts, Gemina, The Bone Sparrow and The Road to Winter. Also, after reading this terrific article on The Millions, I am inspired to go back and read all of the four books in the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater.’ – Nina Kenwood, marketing manager

‘I’m planning to catch up on some American classics over summer. So far I’ve made a start with Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut – I loved Slaughterhouse Five and have been recommended this one by so many people. I’ll probably then move onto Cannery Row, another book that has been repeatedly recommended to me over the years, and the first Steinbeck I’ll ever be attempting. Also on the list is The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner which, if my experience of reading and loving As I lay dying is anything to go on, I will be setting aside a few focused days to dive into. Finally, I’ll begin the epic labour of chipping away at Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry which was given to me by a friend who describes it as “the best book written by a human, ever”.’ – Amy Vuleta, St Kilda shop manager