lou's library

Summer’s here! Technically, at least, and only if you live in the northern hemisphere. The weather has been pretty shite these past few weeks (and months, to be honest), so it doesn’t feel like summer yet. But I’m sure it will come eventually and so I thought it’s time for some summer reading recommendations. So without further ado, here are some books I think have summery vibes or that I think make for the perfect beach read. Enjoy!

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

This book was all the rage on Booktube about ten years ago, so if you were around back then, chances are you already know this one. I reread it a couple of years ago and thought it still lived up to the hype and if it’s got one thing (apart from an immeculate plot twist), it’s summer vibes. Set on a small island, revolving around a privileged extended family with lots of teenage kids, there’s drama galore. It’s also a quick read, so perfect for a long day at the beach with nothing to do but swim and read. It’s fast-paced and fun, but also has darker undertones and keeps you reading because you must know what happened. I didn’t see the plot twist coming at all, but when I think of this book, what stands out to me even more are its summery vibes of endless days of freedom in the sun.

One Grand Summer by Ewald Arenz

For my German girlies (and boylies) out there: this is a German novel and I read it in the original, so I recommend you do the same because the language is a key part for me in this book. I’m glad it got translated into English, though, because it deserves a bigger audience. It centres on a group of teenage friends in a small German town with the endless possibilities of summer spread out before them. There’s a bit more than that going on, but that’s the general gist of it. That might sound a bit lame, and I see how it could easily have ended up that way. But the author is so good at describing the feeling of being young and carefree and at the same time full of worries, that you cannot help but be transported right back to that time in your life. It seriously made me mourn those summers, because I’ll never have weeks and weeks off again to just stroll around with friends, making it all up as we go along.

All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg

Set in just before WW2 in Southern Italy and revolving around two neighbouring families, All Our Yesterdays is the sort of novel you can get lost in on a beach holiday. I didn’t necessarily find this an easy read, as it took me a while to get used to the writing style and to get my head in the story, but it was well worth perservering. I don’t often read novels set in Italy (not sure why, I should definitely change that), and I loved the setting. For me, everything to do with Italy just screams summer. That being said, there are lots of problems and hardships the protagonists must overcome, so it’s not necessarily a low-stakes read. But it’s nuanced and unique and perfect for anyone who likes to read about family dynamics. It was published in 1952 and gives the reader a glimpse into an Italy gone by and yet familiar. Also, my edition has a foreword by Sally Rooney, which is always a good sign. This book is for anyone who wants a summery read with a bit of substance.

Mythos by Stephen Fry

Do I even need to introduce this book? I feel like everyone and their cat knows about Stephen Fry’s series of Greek mythology retellings. For me, anything to do with Greek mythology is summery, because the stories are so often set in the Mediterreanean and also hardly ever mention bad weather (apart from the occasional storm created to make someone tumble from the skies into a speedy death in the sea, of course). I really enjoyed how approachable this book was and it’s also full of the author’s trademark humour, which means that even if you find Greek mythology intimidating, you wont have any problems following the stories. And freshening up your mythological knowledge is always good for any summer pub quiz sessions or bingo nights (are summery bingo nights a thing or did I just make that up?)!

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Anyone out there who hasn’t read this yet? The chances are slim, but if that person is you, I have two questions: where have you been the past five years and what are you doing?? Get your ass to your nearest library or book shop and bless yourself with a copy of this masterpiece!! But even if you did read this book back when it was all the rage, I suggest giving this a reread. Knowing how the story unfolds makes for a very fun reading experience! If you have no idea what I’m talking about (again: where have you been hiding?), this story is set in North Carolina’s marshes in the 1950s and revolves around a murder mystery. I’m not gonna give anything else away, because that would take away from the delight of watching this story unfold. But you can expect amazingly written characters, a good bit of heartbreak and genius storytelling. Everything about this is summery to me, as the protagonist spends most of her time outside in the marshes and nature is almost its own character in the story. I do absolutely recommend listening to Taylor Swift’s Carolina on repeat in the background for perfect vibes. She wrote this song for the movie adaptation of the book and I doubt a better song has ever been written (strong take but I am willing to die on this hill).

So here you go, in case summer does end up making an appearance, we shall all be armed with just the right books to accompany those warm nights and even hotter days!