Christy's Summer Reading Favourites

I've read so many good books this summer that I can't stop rambling about.

These are the ones I would discuss with you, if we could sit down for a coffee & a chat...

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I finished Me Before You last month & I actually still can't stop thinking about it. It covers some pretty intense issues but it's also funny & easy to identify with.

Me Before You was written by a girl from Essex & it's full of all the little daily life details that make me feel like I'm in England again. By the end of the book, the characters had drunk approximately 3000 cups of tea.

I'm kind of tempted to pick it back up & read it all over again.

Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson

Also British. This one was first reprinted by Persephone Books, my favourite British publisher, but it's available in the States now too.

Miss Buncle's Book is a light, clever story of a girl in a small town who writes a very thinly veiled novel using the townspeople as characters. Romance & chaos ensue.

Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

I have read three novels this summer that I loved & want to give to everyone I meet, if only so we can all sit around discussing how great they are. One of them was Silver Linings Playbook. (The 2nd one was The Fault in Our Stars. The 3rd one was Me Before You.)

Quirky characters, deep problems handled with levity, & a man with a Kenny G phobia. What more could you ask for in a novel?

I also liked the movie but of course, the book was better.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Dude, Lauren Graham wrote a novel. Oh hey, Lorelai Gilmore.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is about a girl trying to make it as an actress in 90's NYC. I loved her insight on New York, auditions, & the tension between going for the creative life or quitting for a stable 'real' job.

It's being turned into a TV show now, called Unfamous. Lauren Graham is writing the pilot & Ellen is going to be a part of it too, so I think it's safe to say it might be funny.

Paris in Love by Eloisa James

I'm always a sucker for a good travel memoir. Paris in Love is well-written & fun to read. By the end I was wishing Eloisa James would write another memoir about her odd & fascinating life.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

I read a lot of good Young Adult fiction this summer (have I mentioned The Fault in Our Stars?)

Jennifer Smith studied at St. Andrews in Scotland (alma mater of Wills & Kate), so I like her already. She also happens to be Lauren Graham's editor.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a fun & light novel about travel, family, & meeting a nice British boy.

Relish by Lucy Knisley

I love graphic novels. Have you read one? They're sort of like comic books for adults (although really, who says adults can't read actual comic books?)

But a lot of graphic novels are intense & kind of dark, covering topics like cancer, tough childhoods, & even the Iranian Revolution.

But Relish? Relish is my favourite graphic nonfiction. It's a light memoir about food, art & family. (Complete with illustrated recipes.)

If you've never read a graphic novel, this would be a great place to start.

Mud, Sweat, & Tears by Bear Grylls

I'm so keen on Bear Grylls & his upper class, hippy, British ways. If you like his show, you'll like this story of how he got started, complete with his climb of Mount Everest, grueling SAS training, & his backbreaking parachute accident.

How can you not be fascinated by a guy who names his son Marmaduke?

Ok, those are my Summer Reading Favourites.
What have you been reading lately?

Summer Reading images via:

PBFingers, Seattle Times, here, here, B&N, here, Browsing Bookshelves, Macmillan, & BearGrylls.com