In amongst editing and writing, there’s a gap of a few precious weeks where I choose books for me, books that I want to read, books that help me escape. These aren’t books given for review, these are books that have appealed and books that have travelled across to the other side of the world (and come back covered in sand and suntan lotion). No Kindle for me, my baggage allowance was mainly used with novels and bikinis. Here’s what I’ve been reading (there will be more at the end of the summer):

Bernadette Fox is notorious.

To Elgie Branch, a Microsoft wunderkind, she’s his hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled wife.

To fellow mothers at the school gate, she’s a menace.

To design experts, she’s a revolutionary architect.

And to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, quite simply, mum.

Then Bernadette disappears. And Bee must take a trip to the end of the earth to find her.

‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’ by Maria Semple: A hardback, a very perfect hardback. Witty, clever, easy and, really, rather brilliant!

Single mother Callie has come to rely heavily on her best friend Suzy. But Callie suspects Suzy’s life isn’t as simple as it seems. It’s time she pulled away - going back to work is just the first step towards rediscovering her old confidence. So why does she keep putting off telling Suzy about her new job?

Suzy and Callie live close to each other on a typical cramped, anonymous London street. Neighbours seem to move in, and move on, before you have even learned their names. Callie’s increased sense of alienation leads her to try to befriend a new resident on her street, Debs. But Debs is anxious, odd. You wouldn’t trust her with your child - especially not if you knew anything about her past.

A brilliant and chilling evocation of modern life, The Playdate is a real talking-point book for mothers everywhere.

‘The Playdate’ by Louise Millar: Love that I didn’t see the twist coming, controlled unravelling, engaging and a ‘read in one session’ kind of book. An impressive debut!

Casey Edwards has demons to put to rest. Since she had to give away her baby at 15, she’s been lost in booze and bad company. But now she wants to find her child and put things right…

‘All she wanted to do was get out of there. Get on a train and head for London, the place she’d been avoiding for so many years. But it was finally time.’

Heading to Soho, Casey meets former gangster Vince Sadler, an old-school hard man who can still handle himself – and anyone else. There’s a spark between Vince and Casey but she can’t let herself get hurt, not again.

‘TAKEN’ by Jacqui Rose: Grounded, honest and, at times, perfectly uncomfortable to read. Loved the gritty aspects and strong female protagonist. An excellent debut and one of my first trips into the crime genre. I’ll be sure to visit again.

After eleven years of coupled-up domesticity, Rory Carmichael is single for the first time in her adult life. Even she would admit that her ex-boyfriend Martin wasn’t the most exciting man in the world – let’s face it, his idea of a rocking night was one spent updating his Excel spreadsheets – but Rory could rely on him and, having watched her mother rack up four turbulent marriages, that’s what matters. But when she discovers that her supposedly reliable Mr Right is a distinctly unreliable cheater, she’s forced to consider the possibility that everything she knows about relationships is wrong.

In an effort to reinvigorate both her love life and her lacklustre career at posh magazine Country House, she sets herself a mission to date as many unsuitable men as possible. Toyboys. Sugar daddies. Fauxmosexuals. Maybe the bad boys she’s never dated can show her what she’s been missing in life.

But if Mr Right can turn out to be so wrong, maybe one of her Mr Wrongs will turn out to be just right . . .

‘Unsuitable Men’ by Pippa Wright: I was a huge fan of Pippa’s debut, so eagerly awaited this release. A happily ever after, perfect for lazy summer days, with excellent character development and growth. Escapism that made me laugh out loud. Loved it!

Genevieve has finally escaped the stressful demands of her sales job and achieved her dream: to leave London behind and start a new life aboard a houseboat in Kent. But on the night of her boat-warming party the dream is shattered when a body washes up beside the boat, and Genevieve recognises the victim.

As the sanctuary of the boatyard is threatened, and Genevieve’s life seems increasingly at risk, the story of how she came to be so out of her depth is unfolded, and Genevieve finds out the real cost of mixing business with pleasure…

‘Revenge of the Tide’ by Elizabeth Haynes: Seamless, breathtakingly good, gripping, a ‘read in one sitting’ (and forget to put suntan on your children) novel, highly recommend this one to you all.

Divorcee Jennifer Irwin has it all – a successful interior design business and two loving children. But as her 45th birthday approaches and her children prepare to start their own lives, Jennifer is left feeling lonely in her empty nest.

That’s when she meets Ben Crawford – a man 16 years her junior – as their attraction heightens, Jennifer realises what she’s been missing. But mindful that the small-town Ballyfergus residents would never approve, they conduct their affair in secret.

But a secret is never a secret for long…

As the affair surfaces, Jennifer encounters opposition from friends and family, especially her daughter Lucy. Enraged by her mother’s relationship, Lucy seeks comfort in the arms of charismatic but troubled, Oren. Jennifer knows that Oren is not the man he seems, but can she convince her daughter of that?

And with everything going against them, can Jennifer and Ben’s love survive? Or will she risk losing her daughter to be with the man she loves?

‘Second Time Around’ by Erin Kaye: Perfectly paced, easy to read, a clever mix of light and dark, an exploration of love and definitely an author I’ll seek out in the future.