The artist Frances Bacon once said that “some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few are to be chewed and digested.” We at StudentBeans think that over the summer vacation everyone should stick to reading them. You've got no work (unless of course you are working), you've got sunshine (well we can always hope) and you've got loads of time. Why not pick up a good book and spend the hours before September curled up with one of these StudentBeans approved addictive classics?!

50 Shades of Grey

The first installment of an erotic trilogy tracing the relationship of a college graduate Anastasia Steele and young business magnate Christian Grey. This book is the fastest selling novel of all time - surpassing even the Harry Potter series and has even been predicted to cause a rise in the number of babies born in 9 months time ( yes, really, read about it here).

It started off as a ‘fan fiction’ creation using Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from Twilight as a basis for its main characters. However Author’s E.L. James’s final novels have ended up being dubbed ‘erotic’ fiction for housewives as opposed to Twilight’s vampire porn-lite for teenagers.

If following Anastasia’s troubled virgin love affair with damaged Christian into his world of bondage and S&M, sounds like it could be your thing, give this a whirl. Although many are warning that anyone reading 50 Shades of Grey should be prepared for some dodgy writing. But that never stopped Dan Brown now did it!

The Hunger Games

Addictive dystopian action thriller with fascinating female lead, The Hunger Games film was released earlier this year, after much excitement, praise and general fuss over the book.

It has a plot similar to the Running Man, or Battle Royale, set in a society where a ‘Games’ exists that pits humans against each other to compete for their lives in front of a public audience. Sort of Big Brother extreme.

It has been described as “exciting, poignant, thoughtful, and breathtaking by turns” by the School Library Journal and “brilliantly plotted and perfectly paced” by the New York Times”.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones has been a wildly successful series for HBO, with its twisted characters, intrigue, treachery, gore, sex...and the occasional honourable deed.

Well you’ve heard it before, and here it is again, wonderful as the HBO series is, the books are even better and there’s loads that they inevitably had to leave out for TV - there are simply so many characters and a hell of a lot happens.

What’s more the books are way ahead of the series so you don’t have to stop after two. We’d recommend starting right at the beginning. You might even get to the end in time for going back to uni...

Catch Your Death

The No.1 bestselling internet sensation written by studentbeans.com’s very own, but now, sadly, ex head of marketing, Mark Edwards and his writing partner Louise Voss (he’s just left us to go and write more of these!).

This is a record breaking book, being the first from an independent publisher to top the Amazon e-book charts. Catch Your Death is perfect summer reading - an impossible to put down, blisteringly paced thriller. We’re, of course, biased, but 1000’s of Amazon readers aren’t - and they absolutely love it.

The Great Gatsby

The Baz Luhrmann film version of The Great Gatsby in 3D starring Leonardo DiCaprio is being released at the end of the year and if nothing else it should at least look stunning.

If you want an opinion on the matter when it comes out maybe take the chance to brush up on this literary classic, often regarded as one of the greatest American novels of all time.

Cosmopolis

Whilst not generally well received Don DeLillo’s novel is nothing if not prophetic.

It tells the story of multi-billionaire Eric Packer travelling across New York in his limousine on the way to get a haircut. On the way he is obstructured by many things including a huge anti-capitalist riot.

You (as I was) may only be aware of the recent David Cronenberg adaptation starring Robert Pattinson. Here he's a long way from Twilight and maybe it’s time to catch up with a book that in the last few years has been given a whole new context and is maybe due a reappraisal.

The Secret History

Why not read a book about students? Described by prominent critic A.O. Scott as “a murder mystery in reverse” The Secret History tells the story of a tight-knit group of American students and traces the effects of a murder within their ranks.

If you want to get all academic about things the novel apparently “undertakes a complex analysis of literary beauty versus reality”, but come on, it’s the summer (I write this even though it is of course raining - again)! There’s plenty of time for learning come September so sit back and enjoy what is also an utterly compelling and complex story of betrayal, murder and mystery.

On the Road

You’re a student, right? Have you read On The Road? If you answered yes and then no you have a some catching up to do.

Adorning the bedside tables of students ever since its release the book is the literary version of a poster of Che Guevara or nowadays a horribly large overdraft. Everyone seems to have one. But there's a reason for that.

The book by Jack Kerouac records events in the life of Salvatore Paradise, with much of his story heavily influenced by the author’s own life. A classic of the 50’s described as 'more of a state of consciousness than a book'. It's a natural literary companion piece to J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye. If you liked that book then you’ll love this.

The Magician’s Guild

If even after all these years you are hungering for something to fill that Harry Potter sized fantasy hole in your life then look no further than Trudi Canavan’s The Black Magician series of which The Magician’s Guild is the first novel.

It tells the story of a slum dwelling girl who finds she has magical powers usually restricted to the upper classes before going on to change the city of Kyralia forever.

So if you feel like getting away from it all both mentally and physically, give it a go. If you love it, then you're safe in the knowledge that there's plenty more to hoover up.