By
Beth Green
For
the last few months, I, ever the book lover, have been hunting down
and web-snipping lists of “summer books.” As happens every year,
celebrities, newspapers, National Public Radio and many blogs have
weighed in on what they consider summer reads. Like Santa Claus, I’ve
been checking them twice―looking for that elusive, definitive,
capital-L List of books guaranteed to whisk me off to fantasyland on
an e-ink carpet.
I
haven’t found that List yet, but I discovered a few worth
mentioning here.
For
example, Slate.com has a list of books for the beach, about the
beach.
The
NPR has many lists, including lesser-known books for kids’ and
teens’ books, and funny ones too for summer.
A
chapter of the Sisters in Crime mystery writers' group (all of us
Novel Adventurers are proud SinC members) has provided a list ofbeach-worthy reads written by authors in the group.
Perusing
these lists and compiling them into my own List made me ponder what a
“summer read” really signified for me.
Before
starting high school, I was home-schooled and read non-stop, no
matter the season. When I entered public school, I welcomed the
summer months as a time when I could read something for pleasure,
school weeks being hectically full of social activities. During
summers in high school, I practiced Spanish by reading Harlequins
from the bilingual section of the library and rummaged through garage
sales for ten-cent books. At university, I decided summer reads
should be more Educational (yes, thinking of it with a capital E),
and I slipped into all the classics I could find: Anna Karenina,
Thornton Wilder’s plays, Chekov, ancient Greek poetry, Ayn Rand,
and a lot of literature that I’m glad I read but perhaps didn’t
so much enjoy reading.
But,
after my school days, it’s been hard for me to keep track of what
books I’ve read in what season. Books snatch me up and carry me so
far away from my normal life on their storylines that, while I
realize that I must have been in some way aware of the passing of the
seasons, I don’t connect it to the book I was reading at the time.
It’s my favorite part of reading for pleasure―the journey outside
my here and my now to wherever the writer has mandated.
So,
I’d like to offer my own short list of books to the panoply of
(probably better) lists on-line. The books I’ve selected perhaps at
first glance seem dissimilar. They don’t fit in a particular genre
and probably wouldn’t attract the same readership. But all of them
are about getting out and doing the things we all want to be doing
during the summer. They, at least in me, stirred up that
last-day-of-school tingle of excitement.
Even
if you haven’t got the time to sit down and read these books before
summer greenery turns into autumn’s yard work, they’re worth
finding and keeping aside until winter (or perhaps just until a
forlorn bad-weather day that needs a touch of sunshine) because, if
you’re like me, they will transport you to an endless summer.
1.
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
I
did read this book during summer―when I was still in school. Now,
more than 10 years later, I remember the passages about food and the
way Conroy evoked the feeling of walking on the beach, at night, even
though I was actually on a bus, driving through the rain, on my way
to a summer job.
2.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Perhaps
because he wrote it during the summer, this, more than Hemingway’s
other novels, pulls me into summertime feeling. The parties, the
travel, the crazy nights―it all spells s-u-m-m-e-r.
3.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I
get laughed at every time I mention this travelogue to my bookworm
friends, but I will continue to sing its praises. In the summer, who
doesn’t want to jet off to Italy for pasta and romance, to India
for some spiritual cleansing, and to Bali for enlightenment and, yes,
more romance?
4.
Across China by Peter Jenkins
Travelogues
almost always make me feel summery, so that’s why I’m including
two on this list. This thick description of Jenkins’ trip to China
when the country was just beginning to ‘open’ to foreign
influences again is a pleasure as much for his physical journey from
his farmhouse and pregnant wife to the Mt. Everest Base Camp as it is
for his emotional journey as he sees and experiences new things.
5.
The Vision by Heather Graham
One
of my favorite warm-day activities is scuba diving. So, I knew I was
going to like it when I picked up this paranormal mystery. Graham
serves up plenty of scuba adventures, a strong female lead character,
and a great backdrop of the Florida Keys. Sounds like sunny vacation
time to me!
6. Careless in Red by Elizabeth George
I
do love a detective-on-vacation story and this one and the next book
on my list are good both for thrills and for vicarious traveling. In
this novel, George’s main series character, Thomas Lynley, seeks
the remote Cornish coast to help him recover from the loss of a loved
one (trying not to put in any spoilers for those who haven’t
started the fantastic Lynley series). Though the fog-swept bluffs and
rocky beaches described in the book won’t make everyone’s heart
sing “summer,” I certainly got the feeling I was on vacation
while reading.
7.
The Web by Jonathan Kellerman
A
different type of holiday is in store for amateur sleuth (and
professional psychologist) Alex Delaware, Kellerman’s main series
character, when Delaware accepts a short assignment on a tropical
island in the Pacific. The island itself may be a figment of
Kellerman’s amazing creative powers but it doesn’t feel like it
while you are reading the book. The foliage, the beaches, the
reefs…if you want an island vacation but your budget doesn’t,
this book is a quick way to get a taste of beach-side living, with a
thrilling storyline to boot.
What
books make you feel like summer?
I'm totally with you on the Sun Also Rises. I first read it in summer on my first visit to Spain and the feeling of youth and summer has remained with me like few books do. It's a great book, although I remember being very annoyed with it too, especially that ambiguous ending.
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