Summer Reading: What I Read This Summer

With the summer coming to a close and the autumn soon approaching, now seems like a good time to reflect on the pieces of literature I had the privilege of reading during the summer months. Here you can find a list of every book I read, including a short plot description and my personal review. If any of these books appeal to you and you plan on reading them yourself, or if you've already read them, please feel free to message me about it as I'm pretty much always in the mood to talk about great literature.

Without further ado, this is what my summer of books consisted of:

1. Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell

The novel Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell follows the life of Shakespeare’s family living in Stratford-upon-Avon, as he’s in London trying to establish his career as a writer. Although he is present for part of the novel, the story is really about the people who aren’t often mentioned in relation to the famous writer. As the title of the novel suggests, it is the boy Hamnet who’s a key character of this story, who later inspired one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Hamlet.

The novel might not be completely authentic to what happened in real life, however I really enjoyed gaining some sort of familiarity with those closely related to the writer, especially his wife Anne. Personally, I found the novel easy to get into, mainly due to its enjoyable writing style. I also believe it conveys the time period and general mood of the story well. The choice to not name Shakespeare by name, but refer to him as the father or the husband, seems like a great choice to me as it takes the focus of him and highlights what this story is really about.

It’s definitely a book I would recommend if you enjoy historical fiction and would like to get to know the family behind the famous playwright.

2. The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit, as most people probably already know, is one of the most famous fantasy-adventure novels in the English language. It set the standard for many works following the epic-journey plot and has continued to harbor many fans over several generations. The story follows Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit living an ordinary and simplistic hobbit-life until an unexpected turn of events sends him on a quest with a chaotic group of dwarves and a mysterious wizard to retrieve a golden treasure guarded by a vicious dragon.

As excited as I was to finally read this classic adventure-tale, at times I found it hard to remain interested, likely due to the writing style. A lot of it includes somewhat matter-of-factly type statements, however the scenery descriptions are great and there’s plenty of humour in how the characters are written, especially the thoughts of the main character.

I still enjoyed it, the story is really fun and as someone with a vivid imagination it definitely makes for a great piece of escapism. It’s one of those books that you simply want to have read as an English literature enthusiast.

3. Misunderstanding in Moscow, by Simone de Beauvoir

This short novel follows an older couple who go on a trip to Moscow to visit the daughter of one of the main characters. During this trip a tension rises between the couple that leads to a misunderstanding which almost jeopardizes their relationship.

This novella is probably one of my favourite reads of the summer. It took me about a day to read. On the surface, it is quite a simple story, mainly consisting of conversations between people, however I consider its simplicity to make it such a valuable story. It’s a lovely representation of a relationship between people who’ve been together a long time and who still encounter conflict, but their bond and mutual respect enables them to overcome their misunderstanding.

I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy reading novels that are more so focused on conversations between people, their feelings and thoughts, rather than the events.

4. Permafrost, by Eva Baltasar

Another favourite among my summer reading list is Permafrost by Eva Baltasar. This relatively short novel doesn’t have much of a plot, but is rather a compilation of moments in a woman’s life who tries to keep her life together while struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts.

This book is incredibly witty, it made me laugh out loud, while being about very dark subject matter. It’s in my opinion an accurate representation of what it’s like to live with mental illness, depression, and trying to navigate the messiness of life. The main character’s way of thinking is very relatable, and the writing style is absolute gold. Genius and funny.

If this sounds up your street and you can appreciate dark humour, I would definitely recommend it.

5. Giovanni's Room, by James Baldwin

In Giovanni’s Room, a modern classic by James Baldwin, a young American dawdles around Paris awaiting his fiancée when he encounters a young and alluring barman. The pair embark on an all-consuming love affair, until the American’s fiancée returns to reclaim him.

My favourite part of this novel was the way Baldwin captures the vibe of Paris, as it allowed me to imagine everything vividly. The characters are deeply flawed and struggle through their days, which makes for a controversial plot that sparks the question of morality. It’s a painful representation of how people connect by chance, grow close very fast, but become strangers again just as quickly.

I would definitely put this on your reading list if you’re in the mood for a problematic queer romance set in the streets and bars of ‘50s Paris.

6. White Nights, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Out on the street under a blanket of bright stars, two people, a man engulfed by loneliness and a woman suffering from heartbreak, meet by chance and continue to discuss all their joys and sorrows for the course of several nights.

I had heard great things about this particular work by Dostoyevsky, and it’s safe to say that it lived up to its expectations. Again, the story consists of just two people talking, but it seems to be written with such desperation that it is bound to stay with you for a long time. The concept of an unlikely pair pouring their heart out to each other is a personal favourite of mine, and in this case resulted in some lovely lines that I will definitely come back to.

As it’s quite short it’s a great book to start with if you want to get an idea of Dostoyevsky, or if you wish to read more classic literature.

7. Bobok, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

This other short story by Dostoyevsky takes place in a graveyard where a funeral guest overhears the interactions between the dead lying buried beneath him.

The main (only) reason I read this story was because it was included in the same volume as White Nights. I had no idea what to expect, but I ended up quite enjoying it. The story includes a variety of characters, all very different and vividly imaginable, making it an incredibly interesting narrative that is unlike anything I’ve read before.

Again, a very short story that adds nicely to your reading goal, and allows you to familiarize yourself further with Dostoyevsky’s writing.

8. Kairos, by Jenny Erpenbeck

During the turbulent political times of East-Berlin in the 1980s, a young woman and an older married man meet at a bus stop, a meeting that results in an intense and dark love affair unraveling the trajectory of their lives.

Once again, it was the setting of this novel that gripped my attention the most. I found it impressive how the political tensions of that time are effortlessly intertwined with the main story. The plot caused me some frustrations occasionally, as the main characters are rather selfish and make a myriad of ‘bad’ choices, but that of course only makes them more human and relatable. The writing style is beautiful and skillful, but it does require utmost attention due to the amount of (implied) details that can be found in almost every line.

I would without a doubt recommend this to anyone interested in what great writing really looks like.

9. A Month in the Country, by J. L. Carr

A World War I veteran arrives in a small English countryside village where he’s supposed to uncover an ancient wall painting discovered in the local church. During his stay in the quaint village he slowly becomes a valuable addition to the community, and grows rather attached to the place and its people.

This novel initially interested me due to its backdrop, as a summer in the English countryside sounded exactly like something I was craving. It contains beautiful scenery descriptions that made me wish I could crawl inside and take over the main character’s job in the quiet church. This is one of those books that offers a worry-free experience and is easily finished within a day or two.

If you wish to be transported to a small, quiet English countryside village during the height of summer, then definitely consider putting this on your reading list.

10. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke

Piranesi lives in an incredible house consisting of large rooms and impressive statues. There’s one other person in this house, at least that’s what Piranesi thinks, until mysterious messages start to appear and he sets out to uncover more about the place he calls home.

As much as the concept of this novel intrigued me, I was not as gripped by it as I expected and wanted to be. The house is clearly imaginable by its descriptions, and I will probably be able to recall it for a long time to come. I like how the reader uncovers more about the mystery of the house alongside the main character, but again its mystical quality somehow failed to fully pull me in.

I would probably only recommend this book if you’re looking for a crash course on how to write about a place that could never exist in the real world.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this list of books that managed to keep me busy during the summer, as I believe there are some truly great works on here. In a few weeks I will be back at university (I'm leaving for the UK soon!) and I probably won't be able to read as much. However, I already have a stack of books ready to put in my suitcase that I'm really looking forward to reading, and I will undoubtedly share them with you one way or another. If you'd like to keep up with what I'm reading, or are interested to see what I'll be up to during my studies in the UK, make sure to follow me on Instagram (@evaswarts) as I tend to be more active on there!

Until next time, with love,

Eva Rebecca