The essential part of any holiday is grabbing a good novel at the bookshop or the airport before you go. For some, it’s an escapist romance or a gripping crime thriller. But what if fizzing rom-coms or murderous plots don’t exact meet your reading criteria?   Here is my list of the top 10 classic reads that will keep you entertained on your sun lounger and still scratch that literary itch!   If you love an atmospheric mystery….     Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier   This book has it all - set in the gothic and eerie Manderley, a manor house on the wild shore of Cornwall, the young protagonist is swept up in a holiday romance with a...

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‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.’   Du Maurier’s name is synonymous with some of the greatest works of fiction - twisted gothic romances, psychological horror, nail-biting thrillers…she paved the way for the type of novels we know and love today.   Her books and short stories have been made into countless films and tv shows, including Rebecca, The Birds and Don’t Look Now. And despite her death over thirty years ago, reader’s love for Du Maurier shows no sign of slowing down - in 2021 a new adaptation of Rebecca came out, introducing a whole new generation of readers to this masterpiece of manipulation and plotting.   Daphne (right) and her two sisters   Daphne was...

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