I spent the weekend writing a review for Deborah Harkness' "A Discovery of Witches". It was the "big" book at the Frankfurt Book Fair (apparently), and is getting quite a push from its publishers. It's sort of a bog-standard urban fantasy, but the main character is an historian and researcher into the history of science. That thread really helped lift the book out of "oh dear, yet another vampire" for me. And I'm interested enough that I'm certainly going to read the sequel when it comes out. The backstory to the setting was also interesting (it's set in a version of current day Oxford). It's long, but I would still classify it as a beach read. Keep your eye out if you like urban fantasy though, as it's worth at least trying out!
As an aside, I'm currently reading "The Arsenic Century" which is all about how the Victorians were (on purpose or by mistake) poisoning themselves and each other with arsenic constantly. You would not believe what people used to put in food! (besides arsenic (for intensifying some colours) there was mercury, plaster of paris, elder leaves (in the tea), dirt (in the coffee), and a million other things. It made me even more thankful for testing and regulation!).
