Unless I can spontaneously fly to Disney World Orlando. In that case, forget reading. My only goal in life will be to go on every ride at least 10 times.
What are you catching up on reading this summer? Much like every summer, holidays are a great time to read all those books you’ve already begun but never finished.
I’m going to go ahead and assume the following: most of us go into summer with the same image in our minds year after year. Total relaxation. A vacation somewhere that’s as close to our happy place as we can imagine. And here, the scenery varies.
To you, the perfect holiday might be island hopping in Greece, a cultural city break or watching the sunset in a cabin tucked away in the Swiss Alps somewhere.
To me, it needs to have a beach. Take me to a remote beach on the Costa Brava in Spain and just leave me there.
Not as remote as others but equally lovely is this little village called Llafranc. That’s where I plan on retiring my old bones.
But I digress…
Summer’s here, we’re all melting away with this heat wave so we’re planning vacations.
Where to go, what to visit, what to pack?
And here, many of us will probably have something in common: we associate vacation with catching up on some reading.
I have a very clear process when it comes to starting a book. I have my main library with all the books I’ve read and some I plan on starting but also 2 shelves of books in my reading corner that are organized in “must read” order. Now, I have no shame in admitting that I’m one of those people that might start even 3 books at a time and just lag on because there’s no time to finish any of them.
Here are 4 books I plan to take with me to Llafranc this summer:
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
If you read “Sapiens: A brief story of humankind” you probably don’t need another reason other than it’s written by the same brilliant author but if you do, here are a few reasons…
Why it’s worth reading: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century explains things like nationalism, AI and nuclear bombs from a completely different perspective than what you’re used to.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
There’s just something about a group of four funny, witty, thirsty-for-action, unlikely friends pushing their eighty, that keeps me hooked. A retirement village where a murder happens and a group of elderly decide to solve it in their spare time!? Sign me up! I also project… I can only hope I’ll be this sarcastic and thirsty for action when I’m eighty.
Why it’s worth reading: First of all, The Thursday Murder Club is a great read for a long weekend getaway. It’s funny, engaging and it paints old age in a very realistic yet positive way. Whatever problems each of them has, whether it’s related to their children or some health scare, they’re contagiously positive (and ironic) about it.
Lifespan by David A. Sinclair
I was back home in Bucharest, in my favorite library browsing, when I opened this book and it starts talking about the author’s grandmother and how cool she was.
Totally unexpected. The cover, the title, everything made me think this is going to be a scientific, facts-based book rather than an entertaining read.
Why it’s worth reading: Lifespan is a 3-in-1, home run: entertaining, makes you think and teaches you interesting facts about life and death. Somebody get me a gin tonic, I think I know what my plans are for the day.
Rule of Wolves (2nd volume of the “King of Scars” duology) by Leigh Bardugo
It might not be your first pick but hear me out!
Much like all of the Grishaverse books, this book is so catchy, you forget you’re reading about people that go around controlling the air and water.
Why it’s worth reading: Aside from being highly entertaining, if King of Scars was a reminder of conversational writing done well, I can only assume that Rule of Wolves will follow the same style. The author does such an amazing job at setting the scene without being too descriptive, without using complex wording and long phrases (yeah, I see you “Lord of the Rings” J. R. R. Tolkien fans or, more recently, “Wheel of time” fans) that you lose yourself in the Grishaverse after only a few sentences. Every turn is surprising and in-tune with the story, no shocking twists that are clearly just there just for effect. Engaging storytelling at its best.
Which is what any copywriter strives for in the end. I think…
But that’s just me… thinking out loud.