If you're headed off on vacation this year, you might be searching for a book to distract from tedious plane, train, or car rides. Or maybe you want to get lost in a great story while soaking in the sun at the beach.
Skip grabbing a paperback at the grocery store or airport. Instead, sink your teeth into these 5 amazing classics, perfect for taking on holiday.
1. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, put him on the map as one of the great writers to watch. The book follows a group of expats as they travel post-war Europe in the 1920s. In true Hemingway fashion, there's a lot of drinking, fishing, and bullfighting. People fight, love goes unrequited, and pretty much every single character makes questionable choices—basically everything you need in a holiday read!
Who doesn't love a good end-of-the-world story while on vacation? H.G. Wells' classic tale of the Martian invasion of planet earth is basically the literary equivalent of a blockbuster movie. There's explosions, strange technology, and aliens galore. Even better, The War of the Worlds has an overarching philosophical theme that will give you something to debate about with your holiday companions.
3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Du Maurier's gothic novel, Rebecca, is a classic beach read. This eerie page-turner will transport you to the south of France where an unnamed heroine meets, falls in love with, and marries the handsome Maxim de Winter. However, when she arrives at his estate in England, she soon finds herself getting drowned in the shadow of Maxim's former wife, Rebecca. Throw in a very creepy housekeeper for good measure, and you've got a story that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end.
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
We're all a little obsessed with the glitter and decadence of the Jazz Age, and nothing captures it quite the way Fitzgerald's famous novel, The Great Gatsby, does. Although Gatsby and Daisy are ultimately a very dysfunctional literary couple, this tale of passion, obsession and nostalgic yearning will worm its way into your heart. The Great Gatsby is also an incredibly easy read. Fitzgerald's beautiful prose adds another layer to the novel you'll enjoy while soaking in the sun.
5. Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck
In 1960, John Steinbeck decided to take a road trip around the USA with only a single companion: his giant black poodle, Charley. This true account of that journey is full of wit and insight into life in America during a particularly turbulent time. You'll fall in love with the nostalgia of American road travel of yesteryear. The perfect book to take along if you're going on a road trip yourself!
There you have it, five amazing classics to take on holiday with you!
Let me know in the comments which ones you've read, and share what you'll be reading on vacation this year.