The hottest holiday reads of all time

Murder, romance or comedy – what are the ingredients for the perfect holiday read?

As the summer holiday season gets into full swing a new list of the hottest beach reads of all time is being compiled by Penguin Books and Teletext Holidays and there are free books and a five star holiday prize up for grabs for anyone who casts their vote.

As food for thought 25 different books have been hand picked by Penguin’s fiction editors and choices range from classics like George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four to modern bestsellers such as This Charming Man by Marian Keyes. But any book under the sun can be nominated for the list.

A dedicated website has been set up at teletextholidays.co.uk/penguin and voting is now open.

“People’s favourite holiday reads can be quite different to what they’d enjoy at home, so we’re keen to find what makes the perfect page-turner for the sun-lounger,” said Ashley Wilks, Penguin Online Content Manager. “My personal favourite is Perfume which is poetic, and brutal, escapism.”

Novelist Patrick Neate (patrickneate.com) said: “My favourite is A Fraction Of The Whole by Steve Toltz. Hilarious and thoroughly charming. And big enough to smack any beach bullies around the chops.”

Victoria Sanders, managing director of Teletext Holidays, said: “Books and the beach go hand in hand so it’s no wonder that reading is voted as the favourite pastime for holidaymakers. From thrillers to chick-lit and classics to comedy people have different ideas about what they pack in their suitcase. I’m a big fan of thrillers and science fiction. ”

Voting ends on 31 July and a list of the 20 best beach reads of all time will be published online at teletextholidays.co.uk and penguin.co.uk in August.