Summer reading list: judging a reader by the cover

That's unless I don't get out of the country. Excess baggage might be a problem for I am faced with something of a dilemma. I've packed the sunscreen, a toothbrush, a bikini (and yes, I'm going there again) and that's about it.

Now I just have to decide what books to pack.

Books can tell you a lot about people. I'll look at yours if ever you invite me to your house. If I see someone in a bookshop I wonder what kind of person they are as they browse the aisles. If I see someone reading on a plane I'll always try and sneak a peek at the title. Have you ever checked out the Instagram feed of @hotdudesreading

It's not only what books people have, it's the ones they give. I love finding, or reading, a book that I know someone will love as much as I did, and passing it on. A man I'd known for a very long time once gave me a book by some celebrity wife of an AFL player thinking I'd be interested in her views on motherhood, career and midlife and I wondered if this man really knew me at all.

So here's my problem. I'm heading off on this holiday with intent. I know I'm not the only judgey book person out there. I want to spend this tropical holiday being intriguing and desirable, fun but mysterious, challenging but up for anything.

(And a disclaimer here. I am going on a holiday with my kids. Not to some whacky singles island the ones in those reality television programs where everyone is trying to hook up. Like they'd ever let someone my age on to one of those islands anyway.)

I want people to look at me as they wander past my pool lounge and think I'd like to get to know that lady.

So here's my list of prospective books and what I think they might say about me. Let me know what choice you would have made.

Wilde Like Me, by Louise Pentland. Robin is an awesome single mum. She's great at her job. But behind the mask she carefully applies every day, some things feel grey. After four years of single-mum-dom, she realises it's time to get out there and Change. Her. Life! (Their capitals and exclamation marks. Which is worrying.) You wouldn't be able to tell a lot from this cover. Or the title. But every holiday needs a chick lit novel. A book that makes me think I could write a better book. And my own life is much funnier/stranger/hopeless than this characters.

The Burden of Lies, by Richard Beasley. Cocaine, construction, corruption. Sounds like a typical week in at the ACT Planning and Land Authority. Beasley is a Sydney barrister and this one's all about a property mogul being framed for the murder of her banker. Or The Dark Lake, by Sarah Bailey. A mesmerising account of one woman's descent into deceit and madness. Like my columns. A young teacher gets murdered and a former classmate has to solve the crime. Thrillers let people know you're not afraid when things get tough. That you're smart and clever and like to work things out. These two are obscure enough. It's not like I'm reading the latest Jack Reacher. Although if someone wants to give me that, super.

Restless Souls, by Dan Sheehan. A tragedy, comedy, road-trip novel due out in February that is already garnering very high praise. War correspondent Tom returns to Dublin and he and his friends reconnect and wonder when their lives became so complicated and sad. Manhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan. Another one highly recommended. Part historical novel, part noir thriller, set in New York during the Great Depression. These ones will say this woman is smart and well-read but not sucked in by stickers announcing they've won some major literary prize.

Ali: A Life, by Jonathon Eig. Malcolm Knox gave this hefty book a super review. "That Eig has achieved his aim of revealing Ali afresh, which I think he has, is some kind of literary miracle". I love Malcolm Knox. Maybe I should just track down a copy of The Wonder Lover. But Ali, and indeed boxing, has long fascinated me. I'm not a big one for biographies but the sheer audaciousness of Ali would make this a fascinating read. Poolside it would perhaps indicate I'm not afraid of the masculine, that I like sport, but don't mess with me.

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. Been dying to read this again since the SBS television series aired. Come and talk to me, what did you think of the series? A little scary, a little sexy, a lot disturbing. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence. Did someone say sexy? I haven't read this since I was a teenager and found a copy hidden in my father's wardrobe. "A woman has to live her life, or live to repent not having lived it." Definitely the first book packed.

Happy holidays.