Ah, the soft warm breeze on your skin, the smell of freshly cut grass wafting past, the nearby hum of a jet washer hissing highly pressurised water onto the unsuspecting paintwork of your neighbours car... it can only mean one thing. Summer is here and holidays are on the way!

As we're all getting ready to think about our summer breaks (or autumn getaways - depending on your level of organisation) you can be sure that most of us will be looking for a few stonking good reads to squeeze into in our suitcases or backpacks to take with us.

Summer reading is part of the joy of being on holiday, when you've the chance to relax and enjoy a new author perhaps, or maybe even try a different genre to your usual favourites.

For me, my summer reading has to be all about the fun. I want to have fun on holiday and I want my reading to be fun, too. Call me superficial, but I love to read a good story that doesn't leave me sobbing with a sense of hopeless sadness as I close the last page. Of course, I like to be challenged as well as entertained in my reading, but I also want to be able to finish the book before I get back to the daily grind. Whatever the tale, it must be digestible in the space of seven days to qualify as a 'summer read' in my eyes.

So, here we are. Based on these approximate criteria, let's have a look at what's on offer this summer for consumers looking out for a few tasty summer reads. I'm on a mission to find out what is hot and what is not in the 'buy-able' stakes and I'm rating my thoughts on the scale of 'fun-ness':

I would buy (Yep, I'm hooked! Let me at it now!)

I might buy (Well, it looks pretty good. I'm teetering...)

I'd never buy (I don't get it. I'm bored. I'd only read it if someone recommended or lent to me).

I would buy

My first selection in this category is Watch Over Me by Christa Parrish (Bethany House / 9780764205545 / paperback / 233pp / £8.99), her second fictional novel after Home Another Way. It is a love novel about an abandoned child and a rocky marriage, which fans of Linda Nichols will probably like. The story goes: policeman Ben finds an abandoned baby, who he and his wife Abbi take in to foster. But her arrival opens old wounds connected to Ben's changed personality since his tour in Afghanistan. Yes, their marriage is at stake and it could go one way or the other. Why is it an ‘I would’? It promises to be a gritty, emotive and satisfying, but not too heavy, read with welldeveloped and interesting characters and a good portion of relationship stickiness to chew over as you wait for the outcome, which, in 233 pages, is definitely achievable in a week. Unless you get bored and throw it on the pile of ‘Didn't Quite Live Up To Expectations’ with the rest.

In no particular order of greatness is number two: And God Came In, by Lyle W. Dorsett (Hendrickson / 9781598563566 / hardback / 165pp / £11.99). This is the story of Joy Davidman and her marriage to brilliant author CS Lewis. First impressions don't always serve well in a bookshop, so give this biography title more than just a quick cover gaze if you come across it. It tells the story of Joy, a Jewish woman from America, also an ex-communist, divorcee, poet and novelist, and her relationship with her well-known husband. It's about her faith and love, her wit and intellect and their marriage. Available in hardback, it's quite heavy to take on holiday perhaps, although at 165 pages, not too much commitment on the reader’s part is needed to complete it.

Fancy something a little different and one to get the blood pumping? Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel, author of Elisha's Bones, (Bethany House / 9780764205613 / paperback / 249pp / £8.99) is a suspense novel. The action is set in the Adirondack Mountains, America, and is about novelist CJ Baxter who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and new found faith. He also has to face up to a torrid family past and attempts to expose the wrongs of his family and set things right. The book is fairly meaty at 249 pages and with lots of fast-paced dialogue and promises of plot twists and turns, looks like a great page-turner for your holiday.

I might buy

First off is The Call of Zulina by Kay Marshall Strom (Abingdon Press / 9781426700699 / paperback / 303pp / £7.99). Strom, the author of 34 books and an outspoken expert on modern day slavery, has set this fictional work in West Africa in 1787. The lead character, Grace Winslow is the daughter of an English sea captain and an African princess who escapes Zulina, the family fortress, to avoid marriage. After all that (if it wasn't enough!) she helps lead a slave revolt inspired by the faith of her mama Muco. Despite the slightly cheesy front cover (I don't judge!) I might buy this book because the characters look interesting, the plot looks pretty captivating, and at 303 pages, it would make a good chunky holiday read, with, hopefully, an inspiring finish.

Let's get real for a minute, shall we? Shaftesbury The Great Reformer by Richard Turnbull (Lion / 9780745953489 / paperback / 232pp / £10.99). This historic biography of Lord Shaftesbury is the most recent work about the social reformer and philanthropist who worked tirelessly for the vulnerable in our society in the 1800s – children, the poor and the sick, and changed Britain's values for the better. The book explores the beliefs which powered Shaftesbury's work for the poor and promises to be a very interesting, possibly quite time consuming, holiday read.

What about something fantastic? Eye of the Oracle by Bryan Davis, (Candle / 9781859857960 / paperback / 609pp / £5.00), is the first of three stories set in the fantastical past where dragons roam and tracks through to later history and the famous battles of King Arthur. It is the prequel to the ‘Raising Dragons’ fantasy fiction series written by the same author and is for teenagers and adults. It promises to captivate the reader with an exciting plot and swashbuckling action. I'd buy this, gobble it up and pass it on to a younger friend if I enjoyed it enough.

I'd never buy

Patched Together, A story of my Story, by Brennan Manning (David C Cook / 9781434700476 / paperback / 144pp / £6.99). Sorry, people behind this book, but I have to be honest and put this title here. Despite it being written by the experienced and best selling author of The Ragamuffin Gospel, and with a foreword by Amy Grant, this work of fiction simply doesn't appeal to me. But let me tell you about it so you can make up your own mind. Main character Willie Juan is a boy who befriends the Man of Sorrows at three key points in his life – morning, noon and night. Each phase and encounter contains its own characters and life questions and the key theme throughout is Abba's love. The strap line says that ‘readers will see themselves’ in the story yet giving it a cursory look, as one might in store, I didn't really grasp the concept behind the book. I am somewhat confused – could this be ideal holiday reading or will I just feel a bit disappointed? I don’t know what to expect from this book. Saying that, it is fairly short and could work as a speedy holiday read which can be passed onto a friend afterwards.

Catherine's Gift, Stories of Hope from the Hospital by the River by John Little (Monarch / 9781854249555 / paperback / 268pp / £9.99). This journalist and author from Sydney tells the story of Dr Catherine Hamlin who worked in Ethiopia with husband Reg and pioneered surgery to help women affected by incontinence problems caused by difficult labour. The couple have helped thousands of women live normal lives and be accepted in their communities, rather than pushed to the outskirts where they would have been sent if they had never had received medical treatment from Dr Hamlin. The book is a testimonial to the day-to-day experiences of the doctor and her staff. Despite looking like a truly inspiring read, it's not a book I would pick up for holiday consumption, but is one which would lend itself to being digested in small portions over a longer period of time at 268 'real life' pages. However, if you're going on a working or mission 'holiday', it might prove entirely appropriate.

Rebecca's Choice by Amish fiction writer Jerry S Eicher (Harvest House / 9780736926379 / paperback / 288pp / £7.99), is a romance novel and completes his Adam's County trilogy. It's about a young couple and their journey to marriage set in their faith community. Rebecca Keim is engaged to John Miller. While she is away at a funeral, John is sent a letter saying Rebecca is only marrying him for his money. Rebecca is named as sole heir of her deceased friend's farms, but on the condition she marries an Amish man. Unsurprisingly, the rightful heir shows up, revealing secrets from Rebecca's past, leaving the community reeling. The story looks dull and uninspiring and I wouldn't bother even picking up this novel.