It’s been a while since we’ve updated our recommended reading, but with summer holidays fast approaching we thought it was high time we pulled our fingers out. Here are some of the books we’ve enjoyed over the last few months:

Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability – David Owen

A forensic, but very readable and enjoyable examination of the role that higher density city living can play in enabling more sustainable lifestyles – not least by reducing the need to travel and car dependency.

Pedal Power: How Boris Johnson Failed London’s Cyclists – Sonia Purnell

This short e-book offers a potted history of how cycling fared during Boris’s first term – high hopes of a cycling Mayor cruelly dashed against the rocks of smoothing traffic flow. Much of it will be depressingly familiar, but it’s a succinct and useful summary. Just Boris, Sonia Purnell’s biography of Boris Johnson is well worth a read too.

The Enlightened Cyclist: Commuter angst, dangerous drivers, and other obstacles on the path to two-wheeled transcendence – Bike Snob NYC

The second book by Eben Weiss, the blogger behind Bike Snob NYC, is a whistle stop tour of the highs and lows of commuting by bike, and what needs to change to make it a more pleasant experience for all. A light hearted and easy read, but there’s no shortage of serious messages.

And one we haven’t read yet, but are very much looking forward to:

Strap Hanger: Saving our cities and ourselves from the automobile – Taras Grescoe

If you’ve got any recommendations for us then we’d love to hear them – leave a comment or drop us a line.