Three out of four Irish people read a book on holiday. But what kind are we reading, and are they any good, asks Sarah Webb

It's official: we are a nation of holiday book lovers. In a recent survey commissioned by Eason, 60pc of Irish consumers would not go on holiday without a good read, and three out of four people take at least one on holiday.

The survey also revealed that Dubliners are the most regular readers, with 97pc reading over one book a year. In contrast, 11pc of Cork and Limerick people admit to never reading at all.

So what books are being read on holidays and why? Alan Johnson, marketing manager at Eason says: “Romance books were the most popular type of holiday read for everyone (in the survey), except Dublin consumers.”

In Limerick they are particularly amorous with 34pc of people reading romances while on holidays.

But what do people really want from their summer reads? A Booker prize-winning novel, a gritty crime thriller or a light-hearted yet thoughtful romance? I asked four readers what books they were packing in their suitcases this August and why.

Emma Williams (33) is a Montessori teacher and mother of two from Co Wicklow. Her favourite genre is romance and she loves Maeve Binchy, Sinead Moriarty and Marita Conlon-McKenna. She's holidaying in west Cork next month and is taking Niamh Greene's Secret Diary of a Demented Housewife and Amy's Honeymoon by Julia Llewellyn.

“If I'm bringing a book on holidays,” she says, “it has to have a happy ending and be easy to read and a good laugh. Nothing too heavy. But it has to have a bit of depth as well. I'd never travel without a book or a magazine. I wouldn't even go to the local park or the beach without something to read.”

Pilates instructor, Nicky Jenkins (33) is taking a working holiday in San Diego next week. She loves thrillers (like 19pc of the Irish reading population) and is taking a Michael Crichton book with her called Next. “It's full of fact as well as fiction,” she says. “It's about gene therapy. But I'll also pick up something else at the airport. I love books that have a theme.

“I'm also bringing Freakonomics as I like to read one non-fiction book as well as a novel. I tend to bring books by authors I know, or books recommended by a good friend or one of my sisters. I don't pay any attention to reviews really. But if something is displayed or recommended in a bookshop I'd certainly consider it.”

To Nicky, holiday books are different to “normal” everyday books.

“Books for holidays should be books to chill out and relax with,” she says. “I'd never travel without a book. Ever! Can you imagine getting stuck on holiday without a good book?”

Men also love reading on their holidays.

Arts administrator Tom Donegen (25) would never travel without three or four books. “It often pushes me over the excess baggage limit,” he admits. “I always bring a book set in, or about the place I'm visiting. I suppose I'm a bit of a nerd that way.”

Christian Pollard (34) who works in property management, says: “Normally I would pick up a John Grisham, or a Ross O'Carroll Kelly to take with me. I also like biographies. I've just finished one on Steve McQueen. I'd also bring something I've always wanted to read but have never got around to, like Catcher in the Rye or Hemingway. And a travel guide. I like to know a bit about the country.”

Maria Dickenson, head of book buying in Eason and a voracious reader is very aware that most readers move up and down the genres, from literary fiction to romance. “We always pay attention to market trends and customer interests when selecting titles,” she says. “For this promotion [summer reading] we selected best-sellers and genres that are popular at the moment, like misery memoirs. We also included quirky non-fiction books like One Red Paperclip [by Kyle MacDonald] and crossover books like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas [by John Boyle].” Her own personal favourite book in the promotion is What is the What by David Eggers.

So what is Maria bringing on her own holidays to Seattle? “I'll take at least four or five books. The new Meg Roscoff is coming with me. And new books that are coming out in the autumn, to keep up with new titles like The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold.”

Eason’s are not the only bookshop chain championing a wide range of books for the holiday season. At Dubray Books, marketing manager and bibliophile Susan Walsh particularly recommends Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and, for a lighter yet thoughtful read, Sinead Moriarty's gentle and funny examination of breast cancer, In My Sister's Shoes. Like Eason’s, Dubray are also running a three for two promotion on selected titles.

Pete Williams, of Hughes and Hughes in Dublin, says readers are largely looking for “non-threatening, non-stressful, easy reads for their holidays,” such as a good romance or a Richard and Judy Book Club choice. His chain is also running a three-for-two promotion on summer reads. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards and Relentless by Simon Kernick are selling particularly well.

The Eason survey which discovered that, like Emma, Nicky, Tom and Christian, 60pc of Irish people would not go on holiday without a book is heartening news. But who are the 40pc who would travel without a book? Are they mad?

Sarah Webb 's new novel, When the Boys are Away is in the Eason Summer Reading 3-for-2 promotion.

- Sarah Webb