Books to read on lazy summer days

FICTION
Jeeves and the Wedding Bells
By Sebastian Faulks
Random House
In this PG Wodehouse sequel, we find Bertie Wooster recently returned from a sojourn in Cannes. Bertie can always rely on Jeeves, his butler. But this time, Jeeves is in the drawing room while Bertie finds himself below the stairs.

FICTION
City of Lost Dreams
By Magnus Flyte
Text Publishing
This action-packed sequel to the New York Times bestseller City of Dark Magic is set in a world where alchemy, magic and science coexist. In Vienna, the city of Freud and Mozart, Sarah becomes a target of a fascinating web of intrigue. A sexy summer mystery.

CHILDREN’S FICTION
The Year My Life Broke
John Marsden
Pan Macmillan
You move into the most boring town in Australia – the last thing you expect is dangerous strangers in the backyard and bullets flying. A funny, gripping read from the best-selling author of The Tomorrow series.

FICTION
Elianne
By Judy Nunn
Random House
In 1881, “Big Jim” Durham ruthlessly creates the finest of sugar mills for Elianne, his young wife, and names it after her. The massive estate becomes home to hundreds of workers, but it and its masters have dark secrets which surface during the 1960s.

FICTION
Secrets of the Lighthouse
By Santa Montefiore
Simon & Schuster
Ellen Trawton is about to marry a man she doesn’t love, her job is dragging her down and her mother is interfering. She escapes to her aunt’s house in rural Ireland where she unearths a dark family secret.

FICTION
The Midnight Rose
By Lucinda Riley
Pan Macmillan
In the heyday of the British Raj, 11-year-old Anahita, from a noble family, befriends the headstrong Princess Indira, accompanying her friend to England before the outbreak of the Great War. A heartbreaking and multi-layered tale from the international bestselling author.

FICTION
The Birdwatcher
By William McInnes
Hachette
The Birdwatcher is a heartwarming story about a bloke who’s losing his hearing; a bird that can’t fly but likes being read to; and a teenage daughter who doesn’t know who to be angry at. This is a novel of love, birdwatchers and learning to trust.

THRILLER
The Farm
By Tom Rob Smith
Simon & Schuster
Daniel thinks his parents are ready for a settled retirement when his father announces his mother has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The Farm is an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller begging for a big screen adaptation.

FICTION
Happy Eva After
By Chris Harrison
Allen & Unwin
Married to career woman Sarah who is desperate for a baby, Sebastian seeks solace from this unappealing prospect in alluring Czech student Eva. Before long, he finds himself entangled in a sordid suburban mess born mainly from his own imagination. Get ready to chuckle.

SELF-HELP BOOKS

Rainy Brain, 
Sunny Brain
By Elaine Fox
Random House
Do you look on the bright side or turn towards the dark? Pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox describes a range of techniques that can actually alter our brains’ circuitry.

The Weight Escape
By Ann Bailey, Joseph Ciarrochi
and Russ Harris
Penguin
Fad diets and fitness trends rarely work out long term. Using the psychological science of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) Dr Russ Harris, author of the The Happiness Trap, and his team offer a holistic approach to wellbeing and weight loss.

A Short Guide
to a Long Life
By David B Agus, MD
Simon & Schuster
Dr Agus believes the foundation for health begins with daily habits. Should we take aspirin daily? Are vitamins bad for us? His eye-opening responses will help kickstart your New Year’s health regime.

What Are You
Hungry For?
By Deepak Chopra
Random House
For many of us, sweet treats and fatty meals are hard to resist but rarely leave us feeling satisfied afterwards. Bestselling author and endocrinologist Deepak Chopra fuses science and alternative therapy to share insight on our real “inner starvation” for love, security and self-esteem.