The ultimate festive season book guide

Readers will agree that one of the best things about a holiday, whether it's at home or away, is the luxury of free time to gorge on books, books and more books.

The only stressful thing about this is deciding which books to stuff into your suitcase or stack next to your bed. This anxiety is compounded by the keeping-up-with-book-club fear - not wanting to be left out of the conversation come January, when everyone else is talking about the incredible new books they read during the holidays.

Help is at hand. We've put together a special 12-page summer reading supplement, sponsored by Exclusive Books, in which our books team provides knowledgeable, insightful and accessible opinions on books for all palates.

The Sunday Times has always been associated with good books, from the annual literary awards we sponsor to the incisive book-related content we publish, both in print and on the website Bookslive. The three talented women who lead us through the literary maze are contributing books editor Michele Magwood, books editor Jennifer Platt and Books Live editor Jennifer Malec.

When it comes to holiday reading, Magwood says: "More than ever on holiday, I want to be transported by a book, either by the story, or by immersing myself in an interesting life. I won't read current affairs or opinion on holiday. Last year, I read an enormous biography of Tennessee Williams because I had the time, normally I wouldn't. On this year's EB list I am eyeing the Lady Anne Barnard biography Defiance (she was a woman way ahead of her time), Petina Gappah's Rotten Row (no one writes Zimbabwe like her) and David Hockney's The History of Pictures."

Platt says: "I love to read thrillers, especially if I can find one set in the place where I am staying. They're easy to digest along with all the holiday food, and often give juicy details of the area. I also have most of the '100 classics everyone should read' loaded on my e-reader, which I always take with me on holiday. I never get to the ones I haven't yet read."

Malec says: "Since I do a lot of reading for work during the year, I like to treat myself for the holidays with some kind of book blockbuster, either the latest release from a big-name author or a bright and shiny thriller.

"Then at the last minute I also shove my half-read copy of Infinite Jest into my suitcase along with something noble but boring, and they inevitably stay there until I unpack at home."

When planning your holiday reading, be bold, be frivolous, be thoughtful, be adventurous. We've given you so much choice you could return home with a whole new set of skills as well as a head full of fantasy creatures. Or you could just have another go at Ulysses.