The 6 Best Summer Reads by Mainstreet Trading

It’s nearly holiday time and that means, hopefully, time to lay down somewhere in the sunshine and chill with a really, really good book. But, whether you like a little light reading or more of a tome, what are the best books to be packing for your summer escapism? Who better to ask than the experts at Scotland’s best bookshop - Mainstreet Trading. Described by author Maggie O’Farrell as ‘a bookshop so perfect you might have dreamt it’, Mainstreet’s team know their stuff when it comes to page-turners. Owner Rosamund de la Hey and her team have booked their top picks for summer. Enjoy.

Kala by Colin Walsh

(published in paperback July 4th)

Chosen by Sarah
Part coming of age tale, part thriller and totally unputdownable. Kinlough, an Irish seaside town, has a dark side. 15 years after the disappearance of their friend Kala Lannan, Joe, Helen and Mush return to face the past as summer Race Week is kicking off and two other girls from town go missing. Nostalgic, addictive, thrilling. This debut literary mystery had me hooked and is the perfect summer holiday read.

Close To Home by Michael Magee

Chosen by Vicky
With his debut, Michael Magee has achieved something remarkable. From the deepest of traumas, there is hope; within a landscape of violence, there is love. It is a tender study of masculinity and a powerful observation of the author's own experience growing up in the Belfast that emerged from the Troubles. Michael Magee is one to watch.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Chosen by Sarah
Among the cherry trees of their Michigan farm, Lara recounts her long-ago summer love affair with famous actor, Peter Duke, to her three daughters. Jumping back and forth in time to the summer season at Tom Lake, where Lara was part of the theatre group, we are shown the power of choice and paths that lead us to exactly where we are meant to be. A joyful and hopeful read that is a great pick-up for fans of Dirty Dancing.

The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

Chosen by Vicky
When Mrs King is dismissed from her position in Park Lane after years of loyal service, she decides to get her group of girls together and exact revenge. Their plan? To empty the house completely of its possessions while the ball of the season is underway within. Hay has brought to life a group of women who become the reader’s friends. Fabulous, fast and, above all, fun. My top recommendation for summer reading this year.

Thunderclap by Laura Cummings

Chosen by Rosamund
You know you are in the hands of a master from the first sentence, Laura Cumming is a sublimely elegant writer. With Thunderclap, she leads us deeply into the world of her beloved artists, including, most beloved of all, her father. She has conjured a family memoir and given a masterclass in how to really look at a painting and tease out the truths hidden within.

Hitler, Stalin, Mum & Dad by Daniel Finkelstein

Chosen by Rosamund
This is a profoundly moving memoir by renowned journalist, Daniel Finklestein which charts the experience of the author’s family at the hands of two dictators, Hitler and Stalin. Finklestein hits a powerful balance between the historical significance of his two grandfathers’ records (subsequently used for research by those prosecuting Nazi war criminals) with the very personal stories of family members incarcerated in Bergen Belsen and the Russian gulags, recording extraordinary moments of pain, but also occasionally, luck.