“I’m going on holiday soon; has anyone read anything good recently?”

Whether you’re on WhatsApp, Instagram or in the Stylist office, with summer approaching, you’ll likely hear someone making a plea for a book recommendation. 

There’s a lot at stake: our time off is precious and there are so many options to consider. And reading is subjective, of course; we all want different things from books. You might want something that galvanises you into action, transports you into a different way of thinking or gives you a few hours of mindless enjoyment. 

Thankfully help is at hand courtesy of author, Happy Place podcast host and unabashed bookworm Fearne Cotton. For her, books are everything: a salve for her mental health and a form of escapism, education and delight. “I would rather read than do anything else,” she tells Stylist. “There is no hobby that brings me as much joy.”

Books are set to take on an even more important role in Cotton’s life this month with the release of her debut novel – her 15th book release and the first one her husband, Jesse, has read. Scripted is about Jade, a young woman whose life feels out of control. But one day she finds a script that predicts how future conversations will go, which then becomes reality. And the scripts keep coming until she learns how to say ‘no’ and ask for what she truly wants.

“I had the idea one day while I was out running,” she says. “I got home and told my friend Claire, and she said, ‘Why don’t you just start writing a novel and see what happens?’ I didn’t tell anybody, and then at about 30,000 words, I thought I better show someone in case it was really shit. I didn’t have a publisher until I’d finished – I think people assume someone had approached me and asked me to write it.”

Cotton says that writing about a young woman struggling with boundaries and self-esteem made her think about her own. “I thought a lot about learning to have the confidence to have an idea, to know that it stands up and that you have the right to action it. For many years I always felt like the presenter of someone else’s ideas.

“I have days when I think: I am nailing it! When I get all the life lessons I’m meant to have learned. And the next day I’m a heap of shit and don’t know what the hell is going on.”

When I ask Fearne to share her picks for books to read this summer alongside Scripted (which itself is a truly joyful lounging on an itchy blanket in the park with a giant bag of chilli and lemon Hummus chips) she pulls out a massive notebook. “I’m a Virgo, so I have to write everything down,” she says. “This is my podcast notebook, so I can look back when I’m old and irrelevant and say: ‘This is who I’ve interviewed.’ 

Making this list was such a fun challenge for me. I’m already worried about the ones I’ve forgotten to include…”

Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

Obsessed! I saw this at the airport in WHSmith and loved the cover. I must have read it in two days; I couldn’t put it down. It’s about a woman who steals her friend’s unpublished manuscript when she dies and I was horrified and tantalised in equal measure. Working in the literary industry and knowing the ins and outs – it’s so awful and true. I loved that you despised the main character but also rooted for her and it left you really questioning what is and isn’t OK. A great beach read.

 I May Be Wrong by Björn Natthiko Lindeblad

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is a memoir about life and death by a Swedish Buddhist monk. I got to interview him about four weeks before he died, and he knew he was going to die. It was like no chat I’ve ever had; I was weeping my heart out during it. 

I really love the title, too. It’s a mantra from one of his teachers and it’s for all of us to bear in mind. In any situation where you feel yourself getting really fucked off, say: ‘I may be wrong.’ Because we don’t do that. The book is heavy but it’s not morbid. It’s euphoric; it makes you want to grab life by the horns and go for it.

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

This is one of those books where even if I’d finished cleaning my teeth and only had four seconds, I’d quickly read a page. It’s about three women and their different experiences with sex. I’m fascinated by reading about sex and relationships, but the way [the author] researched this book is just unreal. It’s so revolutionary to read about female desire and so gripping to read about it from three very different perspectives. 

Salt Path by Raynor Winn

I’m a big fan of walking and hiking fan and love anything that’s a journey, so I loved this memoir about a couple [Raynor and Moth] who walk the South West Coast Path after losing their home. I love how it brings up really important issues like homelessness and health, and how to generate hope. It’s so visual, too; you forget how many beautiful hiking paths there are in the UK.

Silence by Erling Kagge

Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge is the first person to reach the three poles [North, South and the summit of Everest] on his own. He’s experienced these lengthy periods of total silence, and in this book, he talks about what you can learn from it, which sounds like it’s going to be two lines long, but when you get into it, there’s so much. It feels like it’s meditative just to read it.

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

I read this novel a few months ago, and it’s all about a woman whose friend was diagnosed with a terminal illness and the friendship that endures alongside this. That sounds really bleak, but it happens to be one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. I don’t know Catherine Newman’s story, but I think she must have been through this because there’s so much detail and nuance.

It’s fast-paced at times and then really beautifully slow. And it made me think while writing my new book about how there’s much more room for humour in the darkness. It made me ask myself if this could be quite morbid and funny, because when we’re grieving, it’s not just as simple as: ‘I feel sad.’ It’s complex and multi-layered. I was going through a similar thing at a similar time: my friend Chris was very ill for a very long time, and she would find the funny in all sorts of situations. 

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

I love all of [Gilbert’s] books, but I found this one so special because it shows the importance of creativity, which I don’t think anyone gets told when you’re growing up. And she manages to capture the feeling of creativity, which is one of the most important things in my life. I don’t know how I would feel or what I would do without it.

It also kicked me up the ass because she talks about this spiritual notion that ideas float about and if you don’t harness them, they just go to someone else. I’m writing a new novel and now and then I think: Shit, I need to get it out so someone else doesn’t take it. 

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

I probably read this once a year, and it’s the one book that can get me out of a funk quicker than any other. When you feel like you’re in shame or have that dark and low ‘ick’ feeling this [a self-help book based on four goals] makes it all right. It gets you out of your head and out of your self-loathing and makes you see everything from a different angle. 

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This one may be a bit obvious, but I love it and people get sniffy about popular culture! Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favourite authors ever and I enjoyed Carrie Soto [about an elite tennis player] as much as Daisy Jones, which is saying something.

I cried reading this book, and it’s really rare for me to be so emotionally invested.  She builds a whole world that’s sunny with glamorous people and you’re transported into it. I totally believe the characters existed. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strongly about an author.  I’m waiting for her next book – I know she’s in the middle of writing one as I spoke to her last year. 

Watch Me by Angelica Huston

I’ve read so many autobiographies that it’s hard to pick one. But I’ve gone for Angelica Huston, and it’s a two-parter. My mum gave it to me, and it was right up my street. The second part is when she’s in the thick of Hollywood and with Jack Nicholson. You could probably read it as a standalone book. Again, it’s that pure escapism into Hollywood – the good the bad and the ugly – and it’s fascinating. 

Cleopatra And Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

This is such an exciting contemporary book about two flawed people who enter into a whirlwind relationship – with a beautiful ending. I thought her use of descriptive language was so evocative; at times you could feel the fabric or smell the smells she was describing. She’s a young author, and I think it was about seven years in the making – it was turned down about 30 times before it was published. I wish there was a word for how it made me feel – jealous and inspired. I want to write that well. 

There’s No Such Thing As Naughty by Kate Silverton

This isn’t typically a summer read, but I found it game-changing. I didn’t read any baby books, and maybe that wasn’t the right move. This book is really innovative in terms of being a parent but also asks you to look back on how you were parented to see why you are like you are today. I think she’s so impressive.

My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay

I adore Lemn. I love his poetry, which is how I discovered him reading Let The Light In. There’s poetry running through this beautifully written memoir, which is all about growing up in the care system after being taken away from his mum. 

To Shake The Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins

Jedidiah is this brilliant guy who cycled from Oregon to Patagonia. He’s not a cyclist or a fanatical athlete, he was just like: Fuck it; I’d better do something. So he just started cycling. He was learning about who he was in huge ways. It’s that amazing kick-up-the-ass feeling that you can change your life and I always feel really inspired reading stuff like that, like: Why am I going through the motions of doing the same thing all the time? Why don’t I try something new? 

He’s now really good friends with Adele. I think that happened after she read his book. She texted me (and I hadn’t spoken to her for ages) and said: ‘Oh my god – you’ve got Jedidiah on your podcast.’ And then she sent me a picture of them eating something really British, like Tunnock’s teacakes. 

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 

Finally, I love an Agatha Christie, and they’re great for summer – even if they’re a bit obvious. I’ve got lots on my shelf but my most well-thumbed would probably have to be And Then There Were None [about 10 strangers who are summoned to a house on an island off the coast of Devon]. It is so gripping. 

Fearne Cotton’s deubt novel Scripted is out now. Buy it at bookshop.org.uk here 

Images: Philip Sinden / Camerapress, Penguin, Random House, HarperCollins, Bloomsbury, Viking, Amber-Allen Publishing, Scribner, Piaktus, Canongate