Holiday page turners with Shayne Elliott

• The Blaze of Obscurity by Clive James

It was very sad Clive passed away this year – I loved reading all his books and picked one to re-read over the break. He is so witty and interesting and, with that great voice, I feel like I can hear him reading his books out-loud as I work through them.

• 1984 by George Orwell

I try and re-read a classic each summer break. My daughter’s favourite from earlier in the year was My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. I thought I would try something darker this year.

• Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant by Tracy Borman

I love history and Thomas Cromwell is a person I know little about. I also have the novel Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel on my bedside but thought I would try the non-fiction first.

• Date with Poison by Julia Chapman

These light-hearted but strong crime novels are really enjoyable. This is book four in the series and I loved the first three. The series is set in the Yorkshire Dales and has great local atmosphere - particularly for those who have travelled there.

• Devil's Candy: The Anatomy Of A Hollywood Fiasco by Julie Salmon

This is apparently one of the classic Hollywood stories about a terrific book (Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe) being made into a not so great movie.

• Swan Peak by James Lee Burke

As some may already know, James Lee Burke is one of my all-time favourite authors. I thought I had read his whole works but somehow missed this one so I am excited to get through it.

• Lessons from a Warzone by Louai Al Roumani

This book is written by a senior executive from a Syrian Bank when the war broke out in 2011. I thought this would be interesting given both the subject (banking) and also the place (Syria).

• The New Map by Daniel Yergin

Yergin wrote one of the great non-fiction books of our time, The Prize, which is the story of oil, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. This is the follow up on the subject of climate change. I look forward to reading this as I know it will be well written, engaging and informative all at once.

Finally, I also have a long list of crime books that colleagues have recommended this year. I have them all on order (hopefully to arrive before Christmas!) and they will fill out any leftover spare time during the break!

Shayne Elliott is CEO of ANZ