The Summer Read
Summer is a time for reading as all seasons are, but the summer read is a phenomenon that continues on. I’m glad that somewhere someone is looking for a good book to take on vacation. I can still remember books that I’ve read on vacation, our South Carolina trip a few years ago featured Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood. Hazel Motes and the whole story sticks with you. Anyway, this post is simply to offer some suggestions for your summer reading. So put your feet in some sand and get a paperback in your hand!
Fiction:
Do you like rereads? Sometimes vacation needs something you can quickly put down and nothing offers that better than a book that is loved and been read multiple times. I am a parent of three children, all of whom are 7 and under, so bulky reads don’t travel well.
Short stories! Do not skip over this wonderful genre. Do you remember that weird and often unsettling short story your English teacher had you read in high school (I get the pleasure of assigning every year!)? You can now read those all just for fun. Shirley Jackson, Flannery O’Connor, Ray Bradbury, and Edgar Allan Poe provide some of the greats.
Have you always wanted to knock out a classic or two but can’t find the time, try one now. You would give a Mark Twain adventure (Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer) at try. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a fun family read. Or perhaps some wit with Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice is a good starting place. You could tackle Louise May Alcott’s Little Women this summer. To Kill a Mockingbird has the quintessential feeling of summer as Scout, Jim, and Dill wrestle with the world around themselves. Or explore the darkness of humanity in Lord of the Flies or Heart of Darkness.
Maybe you’re a fan of a whodunnit? Summer evenings with a nice beverage and a cozy murder are the perfect British summer reading style. You can always pick up a copy from “the Queen of Mystery,” Dame Agatha Christie has dozens and dozens of options, my favorite is still And Then There Were None. Dorthy L. Sayers and her gentleman detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, have many short stories. Finish off the genre with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a Sherlock Holmes story or try one of the first detective story stories by Edgar Allan Poe that influenced Doyle (Murders in the Rue Morgue is very entertaining).
Science fiction, fantasy, and mythology are good genres for the summer. C.S. Lewis has the Ransom Trilogy from his wager with J.R.R. Tolkien. Sadly, nothing came from Tolkien’s time travel book, but Lewis wrote three books about cosmological battle of the universe, Perelandra is the best (read The Abolition of Man alongside That Hideous Strength). You could read Lewis’ best work, Till We Have Faces (retelling of Cupid and Psyche myth). While I find The Lord of the Rings better in the Autumn, The Hobbit is a great and fun family read for the summertime. Harry Potter series is another fun read to get started in the summer. You could read through (or hit the highlights) Homer’s The Odyssey as you take your own odyssey (hopefully not 10 years).
Nonfiction:
Biographies dominate summer reading lists. Try a favorite president, Allen Guelzo offers great books on President Lincoln. Ron Chernow has one or two I believe… one got really big because of some musical. In all seriousness though he has many great biographies, I can’t wait to read his new one on Mark Twain. Walter Issacson has quite the cast for biographies to select from. David McCullough has several great historical ones too. Is there a historical figure that you look up to? Perhaps there is someone or something you just have to know more about. Go get a book on it!
History books in general. My shelves are mostly filled with history books as I teach and study the subject. I am biased but it is the best subject, and you can go practically in any direction you want. Interested in World War II? The number of books released every year on the subject is astounding, also considering that we have so many great ones already. Maybe you want Salem Witch Trials or something on the Enlightenment, I have my ideas but now I just want to allow an idea to grab hold in your mind. While essay writing does not seem to hold its place as much anymore which is quite sad, as a collection of essays can be just the ticket. Lewis, of course has many. G.K. Chesterton has a mastery of essay writing. I know there is a bunch of online options, but I think you need to ditch the electronic for a paper copy this summer. Subscribe to a periodical or journal, I have several that arrive monthly or quarterly. It is a great way to spend an evening.
So, go read and enjoy the summer!