Summer Reads

Sarah Hornby (Assistant Librarian at PRL) recommends some of her favourite summer reads:

I am not very good at remembering who sang a song, the plots of films or books I have read. This is not an age issue, more of a state of being me. I really enjoy what I am listening to, watching or reading at the time and might mull on it for a few weeks afterwards but thereafter it will be forgotten. So, it was a bit of a challenge for me to pull from my memory my top summer reads, perhaps it is more accurate to say, these are the summer reads I can remember and still thought worthy of sharing. They are in no particular order.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

For those who haven’t read any of her books, Barbara Kingsolver, I believe, is a wonderful writer. She weaves together complex themes with such ease and her landscapes are rich, beguiling and precarious. Prodigal Summer summons a hazy summer afternoon: the reader can fall into the daydreamy quality of the story, but the trappings of responsibility are close-by with decisions to be made and the inevitable repercussions that follow. We don’t have a copy in the library however, you can read it on the Libby app or listen to it on Libby as an audiobook.

Circe by Madeline Miller

I discovered Madeline Miller a couple of years ago, reading Song for Achilles which I received as a birthday present, first. I absolutely loved her writing and have a penchant for Greek myth, probably due to watching Jason and the Argonauts as a child. Circe was everything I hoped it would be and more. It takes a character from myth we may be vaguely aware of and expands with generous details so that Circe transcends to centre stage and you wonder why she doesn’t have her own constellation. Circe is available to borrow from our library and is also on the Libby app.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster

I read The New York Trilogy a fair few years ago and my overriding recall is that it was quite claustrophobic and mysterious. I think that suited the holiday I was on at the time, backpacking in Barcelona. If you like short stories and a bit of intrigue, then this is worth a look. The New York Trilogy is available to read via the Libby app.