Summer just always strikes me as the best time to catch up on reading. The weather is usually fantastic and great for either heading out for a sunny holiday or just taking a walk to the park, armed with a good book to while away the time and get lost in the words… The best part about books I think is that they allow you to build a world partly assisted by the write but wholly created by your imagination which somehow makes the whole story telling process seem a lot more vivid and definitely more personal. These selection of books are some of my old favourites and a new one too. Chances are you’ve not heard or read of one or two on the list and although they may not be the most ‘fashionable’ books to read, they’re some of the best out there! Let’s jump right in shall we…
1.) Roots by Alex Haley
You’ll need all summer to read this one. No, seriously, I’m not even kidding – this is a huge book! I think I read it about 15 years ago and it is quite a tale! The author, Alex Haley, traces his lineage back across 6 generations starting with a young teenager called Kunta Kinte in Africa. The tales then follow the slave trade of Kunta Kinte, the experiences of his offsprings right through to ‘present day’ Alex Haley. It is a fantastic book and although it seems like a tough read, the way it is written and the stories themselves will captivate you from the first page right through to the last one. It’s a very easy book to get into and one that you’ll find yourself hard to tear yourself away from. (Available here UK | US)
2.) The Voyage of The Beagle by Charles Darwin
Follow the journey of Charles Darwin across the world as this original traveller tells you takes of his discovery in his trip across the world. It’s another fascinating book about travel and is definitely one I’d recommend to everyone and anyone interested in travel. It’s also an easy read as it’s a shortened version of Charles Darwin’s journals and packs quite a punch. 🙂 (Available here UK | US)
3.) Bossypants by Tina Fey
This book make me laugh so much – as one would expect I guess from a book written by Tina Fey! I love her writing style and her sense of humour (always have) but what I really like about this book is how un-airbrushed some of her views are. She makes some really good points in this books and does them in such a comic way that it’s such a fantastic book to read and one that will leave you more in love with Tina Fey! (Available here UK | US)
(Speaking of which – have you seen her new show yet – The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? If you have, what did you think?)
4.) Animal Farm by George Orwell
This one you probably already know but I love this classic book. It’s an easy read and is a rather brilliantly written book covering some pretty strong messages on equality and fairness. I read this back in school and I initially read it as a fun book about animals on a farm and the hi-jinx they got up to (boy was I young and naive back then) but I eventually had to study this for English Literature classes and only then did it hit me what the book was really about. George Orwell is such a fantastic writer. (Available here UK | US)
5.) 1984 or Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwelll
Still on the subject of George Orwell, another book to read is definitely his masterpiece, 1984. I actually read this book on a long summer holiday in Spain so it seems like quite an apt addition to the list. The villa we were staying in had several books on it and this was one of them. I’d just read one of the Jackie Collins books on the shelf so 1984 seemed like quite a welcome change and boy was it good! This books definitely seems like the book that inspired books like The Hunger Games and The Divergent series as well as other dystopian books and is a fantastic read! It is not quite as light as animal farms gets sometimes but still an easy and rather intriguing book to read. (Available here UK | US)
Random fact: I lived in a building George Orwell used to live in around the time he wrote 1984! Back then it was a run down hostel but as with everything in big cities these days, the building been converted to apartment buildings and although it bears no resemblance to what it must have looked like back then, I still find the idea of it quite fascinating.
And there you have it! Those are my summer time book choices. What books are you planning on reading this summer and which ones would you recommend?
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