Huge thanks to all who have recommended summer reading. The criteria were that it had to be a paperback that could be left behind in the holiday house or hotel if necessary, and also an improving but easy read. This is the selection.

Non-fiction:

The Snowball by Alice Schroeder

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman;

Treasure Islands by Nicholas Shaxson

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

Enough is Enough by Fintan O’Toole

The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry and Invention by William Rosen

Parisians by Graham Robb

Aftershock by Philippe Legrain

Geek Nation: How Indian Science is Taking over the World by Angela Saini

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

The Truth About Markets by John Kay

The Big Short by Michael Lewis

The Secret Life of France by Lucy Wadham

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn (“A perennial reminder that ‘truth’ is a working hypothesis. The neo-lib, neo-con, economic model of the past 30 years looks seriously flawed. Think a new paradigm is emerging….,” says the recommender.)

Chinese Lessons by Brian Pomfret

Dear Undercover Economist by Tim Harford (“A quick dip in and out the pool.”)

SuperFreakonomics by Levitt and Dubner (“On the beach.”)

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (“Nothing on’t telly.”)

The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb (“For the unexpected holiday twist.”)

Fiction:

The Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan

One Day by David Nicholls (“If you graduated at any time in the 1980s then this is your book!  Laugh out loud funny in many places, it also moves you to tears.  My new mission in life is to seek out anyone of our generation who hasn’t yet read this, and make them do so!” says the recommender.)

The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott

Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (“Best book I have ever read – life changer,” says this recommender.)

Red Plenty by Francis Spufford (the publisher says this is non-fiction but it’s as gripping a read as any novel.)

The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe.

Thanks to @brighteconomist, @lcf467, @paulstpancras, @marob23, @dirkvl, @spaceapes, @tawalton, @nextwavefutures, @brandsarebest, @mattflood and @ruskin147 on Twitter, and Rupert on this blog, for all of these. More welcome in comments (which should be much easier with this software than on the previous blog software I was using).