
Whether you want to match your reading material to your holiday destination or you want to escape to a completely different place while remaining at home; I picked nine of my favourite summer appropriate books, which might help you pick what to read over the next few months.
The Beach by Alex Garland
Three backpackers discover a secret secluded spot on a remove island in a Thai national park. A small community of people live on the island in apparent harmony with nature and themselves. The Beach mingles perfectly the characters, scenery, and atmosphere of the backpacker trail with vivid imagery and engaging storytelling. As the story unfolds, the dark side of paradise reveals itself; what the backpackers discover is not a Utopia as they once thought but a nightmare.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
This non-fiction book follows Christopher McCandless who, in April 1992, gave his $24,000 college fund to Oxfam to set out across Western United States. He later stripped his vehicle of its license plates and abandoned the vehicle after a flash flood, and hitchhiked to the Stampede Trail in Alaska. An acquaintance he met along the way offered to lend him more suitable clothing (since he had very little) and buy him better supplies, Christopher declined and set out with only 10 pounds of rice, a .22 caliber rifle, several boxes of rifle rounds, a camera, and some reading material including a field guide to edible plants.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, survives a shipwreck and spends 227 days stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Beautifully written, The Life of Pi is not only about the story of Piscine but about story telling itself and how stories can not only give life its meaning but can ultimately, keep us alive.
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
This novella introduces us to Holly Golightly, an independent (of mind) young woman living in New York who strives to be a high-climbing socialite. Holly has no job so she spends her life socialising with wealthy men who take her to clubs and restaurants, and offer her money along with expensive gifts. Her curious lifestyle mixed with her endearing personality, makes her outspoken views more than a little poignant at times. Inevitably Holly reveals a vulnerability, which is the fear of never knowing what she really wants until she has thrown it away.
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Sherman McCoy - "Master of the Universe" - works at Wall Street's Pierce and Pierce. He is a millionaire with a Park Avenue apartment, a beautiful wife, and an even more beautiful mistress; despite having it all, one mistake causes his whole world to collapse in this perfect account of one man's fall from grace.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Just after might on the second day of its journey, the Orient Express is brought to a halt by a snowdrift. When morning comes, the detective Hercule Poirot learns of a murder aboard the train; an American lies dead in his compartment having been stabbed several times, yet his door is locked.. from the inside.
The Shining by Stephen King
Jack Torrance moves with his wife and son to the Colorado Rockies after accepting a position as an off-season caretaker at the historic Overlook Hotel. Danny, Jack's young son, learns he possesses a psychic ability called "the shining," which allows Danny to see the horrific past of the hotel and its former guests. When a blizzard leaves the family trapped and secluded within the hotel, supernatural forces start to have a dangerous and unpredictable influence over Jack's behaviour.
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
This first novel in Patricia Highsmith's psychological thriller series, the Ripliad, we meet Tom Ripley: a young man struggling to make a living in 1950s Manhattan. Herbert Greenleaf, a wealthy shipping magnate, asks Tom to travel to Italy to find his son, Dickie Greenleaf, and urge him to return to America. Tom finds Dickie and becomes rather fond of their friendship, at which point the fondness tips quickly over into an obsession, descending into a dark and twisted tale of identify theft and murder.
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
Valley of the Dolls is a trash classic telling the story of three struggling actresses in early forties Hollywood. Anne Welles, Jennifer North and Neely O'Hara are followed through twenty years of their lives; the women are seen to claw their way to the top of their careers with the help of copious amounts of pills, sex, and alcohol.. only to come crashing down in their own inevitable self-destruction.
a lot of these were turned into movies! and a lot of these are on my lists to read :)
ReplyDeleteJenn
A Beautiful Zen
some great summer choices here, the beach was actually my ex's favourite book. it's pretty striking how different the ending of the book is compared to the movie though, so much darker. i've only read the electric kool-aid acid test and nothing else by tom wolfe because no one ever seems to recommend anything else but i'm glad to hear you've enjoyed a different one of his books.
ReplyDeletelittle henry lee
Wow, your list of book picks is excellent! I've read a number of these and I can attest to their greatness. The book I'm reading right now is pretty good too - White Oleander by Janet Fitch.
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ReplyDeleteSophie, I have read/loved all of these except Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer,
and I will read this one asap. In my opinion - this an amazing reading list for
summer!!!!! I would also recommend The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (1980s
20sth hipsters, the 80s gay scene vs. Thatcherism, behind the polished surface
of the Tories, a love story, a story about death, friendship, sickness and beauty
(and Henry James) - a work of art!) and "the lessons" (entertaining slightly
dark university novel and what goes wrong beyond and after graduation) by Naomi
Alderman, forever and again „The secret history“ by Donna Tartt... I better not
go on forever as your list was already most brilliantly compiled.. I better
stop as your list was already most brilliantly compiled!
Love the life of pi! x
ReplyDeleteBerrieBlogs {beauty and lifestyle blog}
Great suggestions, I will be nipping into the library to pick some up ! Thanks
ReplyDeleteMadeline | Its a Mads Mads World
I just recently read Life of Pi and loved it. Thanks for all the suggestions!
ReplyDeletexx Mimmi, Muted Mornings
Breakfast at Tiffany's is beautiful! It's one of those books I never get bored of re reading.
ReplyDeleteI've never read anything by Stephan King (I'm a wuss), but maybe it's time to read The Shining :)
x
Absolutely - it's such a darling book!
ReplyDeleteI think if you're only ever going to read one Stephen King book, it should be The Shining. It is quite freaky.. I definitely get spooked every time I read it and if you've seen the film.. expect for 100% more creepy :))
I didn't like it straight after I read it.. but then I LOVED it. I kept thinking about the plot and its meaning, such a wonderful book.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteSo good!
ReplyDeleteI am super pleased you liked the list! I will definitely be checking out your recommendations :))
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased you enjoyed the list; I'll be checking out the book you recommended :))
ReplyDeleteI think The Beach is really underrated :))
ReplyDeleteYes, and pretty good movies too!
ReplyDeleteIt is so trashy but such a great summer by the pool kind of read
ReplyDeleteOh, I enjoy ANYTHING having to do with books ;) I think you'll really like White Oleander. I'm about half-way done and it's such a calming, poetic-sounding read. Really nicely written.
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