I mentioned recently that I have books I definitely consider to be ‘summer’ books, to be read on holiday and when the weather is balmy. I thought I’d make a list of the top eight (I tried to do five, but just couldn’t narrow it down!) in my opinion and see if you agreed or disagreed with me!
1. Atonement by Ian McEwan
One of my favourite ever books. The description of a summer of privilege at a country house before disaster strikes is beautiful.
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Scarlett O’Hara just demands to be read in summer so we can imagine the sultry southern heat at Tara.
3. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
I first read Harry Potter on holiday in Italy in 2000 so it is forever associated with summer for me.
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Escaping the heat of New York, Nick Caraway is sucked into the ill-fated love affair of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan one summer.
5. The Stand by Stephen King
My favourite Stephen King is between this and The Shining, but this shouts summer to me I think. It is an epic battle of good and evil in the Nevada desert.
6. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
I blogged about this recently, but a wonderful summer read.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
It marked the summers of my school years when we read it often, with the smell of freshly mown grass in the air. What an incredible story!
8. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
That image of the children playing in the rye is haunting and all about summer.
Will you be reading any of these this summer?
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