The papers all magically decided that this was the weekend to publish recommendations for summer reading. My holiday is still a few weeks away but it’s never too soon to start planning which books to take.

In my in-pile I’ve got some suitable paperbacks.

[amazon_link id=”0141030585″ target=”_blank” ]The Old Ways: A Journey On Foot[/amazon_link] by Robert Macfarlane

[amazon_image id=”0141030585″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot[/amazon_image]

[amazon_link id=”0713998687″ target=”_blank” ]Iron Curtain[/amazon_link] by Anne Applebaum

[amazon_link id=”1849904936″ target=”_blank” ]Parade’s End[/amazon_link] by Ford Madox Ford (bought after the brilliant TV drama, and not yet read)

[amazon_image id=”1849904936″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Parade’s End[/amazon_image]

[amazon_link id=”0140449086″ target=”_blank” ]The Histories[/amazon_link] by Herodotus (a 2nd hand book also in the pile for some time)

That’s nowhere near enough so I’m planning to by some of:

[amazon_link id=”075381983X” target=”_blank” ]Building Jerusalem: Rise and Fall of the Victorian City[/amazon_link] by Tristram Hunt

[amazon_image id=”075381983X” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Building Jerusalem: The Rise and Fall of the Victorian City[/amazon_image]

[amazon_link id=”0670918989″ target=”_blank” ]Tubes: Behind the Scenes at the Internet[/amazon_link] by Andrew Blum

[amazon_link id=”1908526173″ target=”_blank” ]Calcutta: Two Years in the Cit[/amazon_link]y by Amit Chauduri

[amazon_image id=”1908526173″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Calcutta: Two Years in the City[/amazon_image]

[amazon_link id=”0241145368″ target=”_blank” ]The Infatuations [/amazon_link]by Javier Marias (I loved his earlier trilogy, [amazon_link id=”0099461994″ target=”_blank” ]Your Face Tomorrow[/amazon_link])

[amazon_image id=”0241145376″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The Infatuations[/amazon_image]

Any other recommendations, folks? A strong preference for paperbacks, and some detective fiction ideas needed.