I love summertime because it’s the perfect time to read the many books that end up on my reading list through the school year. I get quite a bit of reading done over the winter break, but the summertime is the perfect time to really make a dent in my list. I love sitting outside in the sun, or bringing a book to the beach or when I go camping. I make a book list for myself every year, and this year I decided to share my book list with you. So if you’re a bookworm like me, keep reading to see what books I’ve selected this year!
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
I have wanted to read Alias Grace ever since I saw the announcement of the TV series at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) back in September. I had gotten the book for Christmas in the hopes I’d read it in the Winter Break, but the book was larger than I had expected so I ended up reading Call Me by Your Name instead, another book I got for Christmas. I’m happy to finally get a chance to read this book this Summer.
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan
It’s not uncommon for me to pick a book that takes place during WWII to be on my list. I love period pieces. Last summer the historical fiction I read was All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and it was amazing. I love the history, so when I found his book I thought it was perfect. I was even more sold by the fact that it’s based on interviews of real people recounting a true event. What makes it even better, is that when I went to Chapters to find books, it was part of the table dedicated to celebrating International Women’s Day!
Difficult Women by Roxane Gay
This was another book that was a part of the International Women’s Day display at Chapters. The title is the thing that first got my attention, and the reviews I read had me even more sold. Just check a few of them out on Goodreads. I read the first two pages before purchasing, and I definitely look forward to reading it this summer.
Enigma Variations by André Aciman
Over the winter break I read Call My By Your Name by André Aciman and I really loved his writing style. I decided to add Enigma Variations to my book list because I was curious to read other works by André Aciman.
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North
Anna North is a fairly new author, and The Life and Death of Sophie Stark (her second book) came out in 2015. I first bought the book in 2015 as it stuck out to me when I was book shopping. At the time, I had a lot of other books to read, so unfortunately, this book has been sitting on my bookshelf for the past two years or so. I decided this summer I’d finally read it, as the reviews for it have all been positive, and I’ve been interested in this book for a while.
Struggles of a Dreamer by Yahaya Baruwa
Back in January, while I was shopping at Chapters in Barrie, Yahaya Baruwa was selling and signing copies of his book. He welcomed me when I walked into the store, so I decided to go over to him and have him tell me about his book. I later found out that Yahaya is a graduate student at York University, so automatically we started talking about school. I told him I was a filmmaker and that I too like to write, and I bought a copy of his book that he signed for me. He was very nice and I’m excited to finally get a chance to read his book this summer.
Ruin and Beauty by Patricia Young
I always pick a few poetry books to read during the summer. Last summer I read three, so this summer I picked just one to add to my list. I found this book at a thrift store, and I thought it would be the perfect poetry book to read this summer.
Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
I’ve never been one to read biographies. But this year, I decided to give them a try. I decided Lauren Graham’s Talking As Fast As I Can was the perfect biography to start with as I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan. Plus, my mom already owned the book so I saved myself some money and/or a trip to the library.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
I have always wanted to read this book and when I found saw it at BMV and the price was right, I bought it. Again, it’s another biography because I really want to read more.
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
I also found this book at BMV for a good price. I’ve always wanted to check out Virginia Woolf’s writings and I thought now was the perfect time.
For those of you who may be curious, I decided to also share with you my Summer 2017 book list.
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The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
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Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
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The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
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Still Alice by Lisa Genova
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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
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All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
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Whiskey Words and a Shovel by r.h Sin
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A Beautiful Composition of Broken by r.h Sin
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Born to Love Cursed to Feel by Samantha King
So for all you bookworms, I hope you enjoyed learning about my book list for this summer. There’s a lot of great books that I’m excited to be reading this summer and I hope you all are too. Happy reading everyone!
All photos courtesy of Averie Severs.