You may want to nab a good cup of coffee (or perhaps a chilled beverage!) as you pore through the results of my latest Weekend Poll … and be prepared to add to your reading lists!

I asked readers what books you’ll turn to, or recommend that others read this summer – and appreciate all your responses. That’s just one more advantage of being part of the global community of readers who turn to this website; we’re exposing one another to authors and great books that we might not otherwise know are out there!

Whatever your hemisphere …

… you’ll enjoy tucking into the following list of titles recommended by your counterparts. I know that those of us in the northern hemisphere will look forward to devouring some of these titles by the pool or beach, or in the shade at home. Readers in the southern hemisphere are marking the beginning of Winter, and that’s also a great season to cozy up for a good read.

I also asked readers whether you’d be reading fiction, non-fiction or both in the weeks ahead. Many respondents mentioned they’ll be reading both; I’ll let you gauge this by checking through the following titles! Some of the titles received recommendations from more than one reader.

On my bookshelf (and ereader)

I have more than a few of the titles you recommended. As someone who appreciates historical fiction, it’s little surprise that I adored The Nightingale. Looking for a thriller? I was less than certain during early pages of The Woman in the Window, but am glad I carried on and finished the book.

Some titles not on the list that I’ll be digging into in the weeks ahead? Tom Peters’ The Excellence Dividend is one of the non-fiction books I’m reading. Am looking forward to Lawrence Hill’s The Illegal. The beauty of a good book is that it’s like an old friend, and so I’ll once again read a couple of Rumer Godden’s works: The Greengage Summer and The Peacock Spring. I could easily dive back into almost any of Edward Rutherford’s big, fat books. Before doing that, though, I’ll make a return visit to the novel, Vancouver. Whether or not you’ve visited the city I call home, this 2003 bestseller makes for a good read. The opening pages take you to the Ice Age in what’s now Alaska, and gives you insights into this city on the Pacific coast.

Poll Results: Your recommendations

• A Question of Trust – Vincenzi, Penny

• Be the Ultimate Assistant – Low-Kramen, Bonnie
• Better than Before – Rubin, Gretchen – “non fiction”

• Calypso – Sedaris, David
• Chief of Staff: The Strategic Partner Who Will Revolutionize Your Organization – Parris, Tyler

• Days of Wine & Roquefort – Aames, Avery

• Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success – Hewlitt, Sylvia Ann

• Fifteen Dogs – Alexis, André
• First Man In – Middleton, Ant
• Focus: The Hidden Driver of Focus – Goleman, Daniel

• Gregory, Phillippa (assorted titles) – ” I came across them at an airport in Australia and have become hooked on them, and I have passed them on to friends who have also become hooked on them.”
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverance – Duckworth, Angela

• Harrington, Emma (assorted titles by this Irish author) – “Her books are perfect poolside reading”
• Hattie’s Home – Gibson, Mary
• Hiding in Plain Sight – Craig, Carol
• How to Be Like Walt Disney – Williams, Pat

• IAAP CAP (Certified Administrative Professional) Study Guide, and other recommended readings
• I Am

• Love and Ruin – McLain, Paula – “I’m almost to the end – it’s wonderful! Though The Paris Wife was her big hit, I highly recommend all of her books.”

• On Writing – King, Stephen
• One Summer in Italy – Moorcroft, Sue
• Own the Room

• Principles – Dalio, Ray

• Safari – McGarvey, Darren
• Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind – Harai, Yuval Noah

• The Alice Network – Quinn, Kate
• The Art of People: 11 Simple People Skills That Will Get You Everything You Want – Kerpen, Dave
• The Book Thief – Zusak, Markus
• The Confidence Code – Kay, Katty and Shipman, Claire
• The Death of Mrs. Westaway – Ware, Ruth
• The Dress – Kerrigan, Kate – “couldn’t put it down”
• The Greek Escape – Swan, Karen
• The Handmaid’s Tale -Atwood, Margaret
•  The History of Bees by Maja Lunde – “A great read!”
• The Nightingale – Hannah, Kristin
• The Rome Affair – Swan, Karen
• The Shadow of the Wind – Zafon, Carlos Ruiz – “best novel I have read in the last 10 years”
• The Storytellers Secret – Gallo, Carmine – “I’m reading (on Audible) while I go for long walks.”
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel – Morris, Heather – “fantastic read”
• The World According to Garp – Irving, John
• The Vacationers –  Strau, Emma
• The Woman in the Window – Finn, A. J.
• This Is Going to Hurt – Kay, Adam

• Unshakeable

• Vineyard series – Craig, Philip R.
• von Simpson, William – trilogy: Die Barrings (The Barring), Der Enkel (The Grandson), Das Erbe der Barring (The Legacy of the Barring) – see comments at base of article from the reader who recommended these titles

• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
• Why Mummy Drinks – Sims, Gill
• Wuthering Heights – one assistant will be re-reading it in readiness for Emily Bronte’s 200 birthday

• Year of Yes – Rhimes, Shonda