Off to the island soon and always love to read good books about the area I'm in. Nothing too heavy or too shallow either , but ones to put you in the picture with your new experiences and enhance the leisure hours....
thank you.

"Nights Of Rain And Stars" by Maeve Binchy

I second that suggestion!

Which island?

How about The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea by Mary Renault -- about the Theseus legend but not at all musty, very readable.

Thanks....we will be in Sifnos, Paros,Santorini,Rhodes and Samos this Sept/Oct

Tom, do not underestimate the ILLIAD and the ODYSSEY…

If you can find it (long out of print) Fionnuala Brennan's book <i>On a Greek Island</i> is a wonderful account of an Irish family's life on Paros in the 70s. She and her husband quit their jobs and took their two children with them to Greece, looking for the perfect island on which to live. The book describes Paros in the days before mass tourism, when even electricity and running water weren't necessities.

I have a treasured copy at home, and believe amazon.com still has used copies for sale.

Reflections on a Marine Venus (Lawrence Durrell, about Rhodes)

The Magus

Books by ANY of the Durrell family, Patrick Leigh Fermor's wartime memoirs (captured the German commandant of Crete while posing as a peasant).

There's a copy of "On a Greek Island" for sale right now on eBay.

The Cretan Runner, account of the German occupation of Crete.
Dinner with Persephone, by Patricia Storace, about Greece in general, not necessarily the islands, but certainly worthwhile reading.

There was a graphic description of the German occupation and the General's kidnapping and the reprisals on Crete on Joanna Lumley's Greek Oddysey -the new tv series recently.
thanks for some good book suggestions....please keep 'em coming!

Tommmo you made a good point here !!
Watching Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey is the best way to prepare a trip to Greece.
She has approached Greece with lots of love and respect, i just love her series. ( found it on you tube)

I wish she'd visited more islands though, seems there could have been much more of Greece to feature....

The Island by Victoria Hislop - situated in the old leper colony of Spinalonga off Crete - definitely not too heavy

On my opinion Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis is a must and a very pleasant reading too.

...and a Classic film of course with Anthony Quinn!

Captain Corelli's mandolin; The Moonspinners; This Rough Magic; The Praise Singer; The Golden Fleece; and my current favourites- Paul Johnston's Alex Mavros books

Sheila, which Golden Fleece? Who wrote it? There are several at amazon.com.

You reminded me of many old favorites. I'm sure I'd like this one too.

Another Mary Renault fan. A good chunk of The Praise Singer takes place on Samos.