Summer Reads
I have been busy reading all summer so I thought I’d share my top five summer reads! I have been actively trying to read more, and audiobooks have helped out a lot. I love to listen to audio books while I’m washing the dishes, driving, etc.
When I have the spare time I do try to read a paper book…who can resist cuddling up with a good book and this fluffy goon? So cozy!
Funny enough, I read We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson shortly after The Haunting of Hill House (2018) came out on Netflix a few years back (a show that was adapted from another Shirley Jackson novel), so you won’t find it on the list below but it did find a home on my book shelf (which means I liked it a lot).
Have you read any good books lately?
My Summer Reads
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
I love a book that immediately hooks you, and Fairy Tale by Stephen King did just that. The story follows Charlie Reade, a graduating high school senior who becomes the caretaker to an elderly man, eventually inheriting his mysterious property. In the audiobook (which is how I read this book), Seth Numrich brings the character to life as a dark fairy tale unfolds.
The book is pretty long (608 pages of pure magic) and the audiobook is about 24 hours of listening total, but boy was it worth it. It was definitely my favorite book of the summer. I love love loved this one!
Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley
Elvis and Me follows the almost 20 year span of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship from when it began in Germany in 1959 to when Elvis passed away in 1977. The story is rocky and tragic, and so fascinating. I loved learning about Elvis through Priscilla’s gentle perspective, and Priscilla reads the audiobook which is an extra bonus. It feels so much more personal and authentic when the author reads their own work, don’t you think? This one was five stars from me!
Fahrenhiet 451 by Ray Bradbury
I wanted to read some of the classics I missed out on when I was younger, so I chose a few to read this summer, like Fahrenhiet 451. Set in a dystopian society where books are outlawed and burned, Fahrenheit 451 follows a fireman (part of the fleet tasked with book burning) who has an existential crisis of being. The book is short and sweet, and I enjoyed it!
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is another one of the classics I hadn’t gotten around to reading yet. It is a dystopian novel depicting a future in which government heavily regulates procreation by banning natural methods and instead creating clones to control the population. I found this book interesting because it is a great example of how literature and art can help us understand what was taking place historically and culturally at any given point in time. This book was released not very long after the invention of the assembly line by Henry Ford, and there is a rythmic cadence to the writing that mimmicks the contextual structure of the new world that Huxley has brought to life.
In the end, not my favorite book of the summer, but I’m glad I read it.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
I have had Atomic Habits on my reading list for a while, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. This book is a crash course on how to succeed in breaking unhealthy habits and creating healthy habits. There were a lot of useful action suggestions and great takeaways. It was a quick read on audible at 5 hours and 35 minutes total in length and I got a lot out of it, thank you James!
I hope you are finding time to do something you love this summer :)
