Summer reading

Now that summer holidays are coming to an end, how many books did people manage to read while away. I find that it depends on the type of holiday taken. If, for instance, I'm on a holiday touring round foreign cities, doing a lot of sightseeing I cannot settle to anything too demanding to read, as often the only reading time is a few minutes last thing at night, or odd moments during the day, so choose something light and funny, or a short story collection. If a stay in a gite or rented house is the choice, then something more demanding may be in order, as I can find the time to spend an hour or two just reading while sitting in the garden ( my favourite ). The types and number of books I take to a rented house are more critical, and I usually end up with about half-a-dozen for a two week holiday, some of which should be long and fairly complicated, and a couple of which should be shorter and lighter just for a change of mood. I am always pleasantly surprised to find anything readable in any holiday house that i have rented, especially if it's abroad and the reading matter is in English. My husband usually takes just one novel - for the last two years it has been Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby.