Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. AI images avoided.
What would you consider to be the perfect book for a summer read? I know I’d want something on the lighter side of fiction, though my overall preference heads that way anyway, but there is something apt, I think, for a light book to match a light mood. Summer usually encourages a light mood, I find. If nothing else, a good summer read can distract from the hayfever…!
So straight away I’m heading towards the funnier side of fiction so at some point I’m likely to dip into the wonderful works of P.G. Wodehouse, Jane Austen, and Terry Pratchett. Now there’s a fabulous trio of authors for you.
Holiday Books
I can understand the appeal of the holiday book market (which are often romances). You want a light read to take on holiday with you, right? Fair enough but I must admit this kind of book isn’t my cup of tea. Never has been. I’ve always liked something on the quirky side and if it’s funny as well, even better. I suspect this is why when I did finally discover Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, I was hooked from the start.
I would put out the word for short story and flash anthologies as being a good fit for a summer read. Only have time to read a little bit around other commitments at this time of year? These books would be perfect for this though I admit my bias here is well known!
To be fair, I also hope such anthologies would help encourage reluctant readers to pick up a book as they’re not being asked to commit to too much in one go and, maybe once hooked, they will go on to read other, longer works. Certainly, I’ve read many excellent stories in anthologies which have then led to me reading longer works by the authors in them. These collections aren’t just for summer, naturally, but for a book you can dip into when time for reading is restricted, these are ideal.
What I wouldn’t want to see is people not reading at all over the summer months. Sure holidays and other things going on in the summer are bound to distract but I also don’t want reading just to be associated with the colder times of the year (and we will get those again, honestly, though right now it seems as if the heatwave is ongoing for the foreseeable future. Now I’ve written that down, it’ll rain I suspect! I remember well the drought of 1976, the government appointing a Ministry of Drought and within about a week or so, the heavens opened).
Reading Time
I can’t say my reading dips much over the summer. It is more likely to dip if I’m especially busy but knowing this, I try to guard against this. Reading is the single best thing any writer can do to help develop their craft as we do learn from each other. Also, it makes huge sense to take part in the industry we want to be part of by reading books already out there, classic and contemporary, fiction and non-fiction.
When I’m really short of time, I focus on magazine reading, both in print and online versions. These are often connected to the writing industry but they’re a great way of learning more about the craft and what is going on where. I’ve found many a story competition to enter this way. And it all counts as reading whether you can read 500 words a day or 5000.
The thought of reading outside is a pleasant one and I do it sometimes. Magazines come into their own for this (and the print versions are always useful for swatting flies and wasps away as well!). I tend to save my book reading for indoors. I suppose it is because print magazines are so easy to roll up and carry out with you. My main reading of books outside is when I’ve been to a writing event and am bringing the books home with me so I get to read something new on the train journey.
The funny thing is you might think people would read more during the summer given the longer, lighter evenings, but writers are especially aware, I think, we’re competing with a wide range of other forms of entertainment for people’s attention, some of which can only be summer based. So it is vital our books grip people from the start as that is the single biggest thing I know of which will encourage folk to keep on reading.
Books Are Great Value
I would also like to see more awareness of just how much of a bargain a book is because it is the form of entertainment you pay for once and get to keep and read as much as you like. You can’t get endless trips to a cinema to see a film without paying for each visit but, having bought a book, you can read it as often as you want.
So when you take the cover price (most of which goes to cover costs including author royalties and leave some profit for publishers, without which they can’t operate) and think I can read this whenever I want and for years, it does work out as a bargain if you consider what you’d be paying if you had to read books on a “pay to read” basis.
Holiday Book Market
This is the second biggest market for publishers, only beaten by the Christmas one, and both of them revolve around holidays. I like the thought of holidays being associated with reading. Am all for that. Holidays themselves can make great settings for stories.
A Special Summer Birthday Announcement
I was delighted to hear Queen Camilla, to celebrate her 79th birthday on 17th July, is gifting to every Year 6 child in the country (and P6 children in Scotland) a copy of Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. This book is the first in a series so you have to hope the freebie will encourage the children to go on to read more.
I understand the children will receive the book as The Queen’s Christmas Gift Initiative but what a lovely idea. Each copy of the book will have a personal message from Her Majesty too.
But what a great way to celebrate a birthday and a wonderful bonus for the children at Christmas. The idea, naturally, is to encourage a love of reading for pleasure. It is too easy to get out of a habit you really don’t want to lose.
Conclusion
Reading is a wonderful way to relax, to be entertained, to learn. Literacy is something to treasure, given it still isn’t available for everyone which is an incredible thing to say in the 21st century but not incredible in a good way. I find it sad.
And I am all for books which encourage reading, whether they’re to my taste or not. I do think summer books can do a great deal of good here.
Now over to you. What summer books would you recommend? Which books would you recommend as being a suitable summer read?
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
Never miss out on another blog post. Subscribe here:
Leave a Reply