8 Books to Read This Summer
like strawberries or thunderstorms, these are good reads for the heat of July
It’s incredibly humid in Charleston. Like swim down the street humid.
So here are 8 delicious books you should dive into to while away the hot summer Saturday afternoons.
Some of these are warm, sunny books — ripe and lovely like a basket of strawberries you just picked out at the farmers market. Some are like a summer storm: you see the heat lightning before you feel the rain.
(Listed in no particular order.)
A mesmerizing, meandering book about a tiny Irish town getting electricity for the first time. I think it is some of the best, lyrical writing I’ve read in recent years — his descriptions were fantastic and unusual. But this is not a book to read if you’re in a rush. This is more of a sip-a-lemonade-by-the-pool-for-five-hours kind of book about an older man returning to make amends with a lost love and a teenage boy on the cusp of adulthood.
Coco Mellors is another author I hope to be like — her sense of fashion is impeccable. And her writing is honest. I thought this book was absolutely lovely. Easy to read, hard to put down. A great summer roadtrip book to pull out on a long drive if you’re the passenger princess. (If you’re the driver, maybe get the audiobook so everyone stays safe on the road around you.)
This is an important one. Omar El Akkad is a journalist and novelist, and (I think) this is his first memoir. Three weeks into the bombardment of Gaza, he tweeted: "One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." I am about halfway through reading this book, and I highly recommend it.
I grew up watching Ina Garten at my grandparents house on the eastern shore of Maryland. We’d climb out of the pool in the sticky heat of a July afternoon and curl up on their glassed-in porch to watch Ina make tomato sandwiches and decadent cakes. Her world always seemed to be overflowing with hydrangeas and interesting friends. So when I heard she wrote a memoir, I was delighted. (And delighted when several friends texted me telling me to read it.) It’s one of the rare books I’d recommend as the audiobook because her voice is so nostalgic and comforting. Perfect for listening to while you’re walking in your neighborhood or rooting around in your garden, if you’re lucky enough to have one.
A dark and twisty thriller. My best friend recommended it, and I read this in 48 hours or less. It’s perfect for curling up on the porch during the next storm that rolls in. Grab your cup of coffee, immediately adopt a small dog to curl up at your feet, and read to your heart’s content while the rain pours.
An absolute must. If you’re a creative or an artist or someone who feels like they could be an artist, this book will change your life. It’s wise and winsome and deeply practical.
A wonderful book on the importance of nature to the human experience. I picked this up at a tiny bookshop in London and devoured it on the train ride. I think a return to loving and honoring the earth will heal us as humans, and this book is a great place to start.
I’m trying to read more books that stretch me creatively and this collection of short stories fits that bill. It’s strange and eerie — about a future world where technology is ever-all-consuming. The perfect offbeat read if you’re looking for something a bit odd and creatively interesting.
What about you? What are you reading these days? I’d love to hear!
xxx
Ellery Frost
PS. Here’s a bonus book recommendation: Travels with Charlie
If you’ve already read it, I’d recommend picking it up for a re-read. If you haven’t, grab a second hand copy at your local book store. It’s just a lovely, short, sweet book that will make you want to ditch your day job and hop in a van to rediscover the charm of small town America. (Which could be dangerous, depending on your commitments. So proceed with caution. Or don’t. Buy the van and hit the road.)
Wow, you wrote such compelling descriptions about each of the books. I am definitely intrigued!
I have The Artist's Way and I'm excited to read it!
Thank you for sharing!
So sharing all these !!!!!