There was a time in my life when the concept of “summer reading” was no different to any other season reading, with the caveat that during summer I had an added bonus: more time to be engrossed in my books of choice, or not being put off by mammoth-length novel because, yes, I had that covetted thing: time. Time  to get myself lost in books for hours on end. Fast forward a few years, my time surpluses are nowhere to be seen. As a working single mum, the hard-earned holidays are linked to a strong will to spend quality time with my son. There will come a day that will find us both on a sun lounger engrossed in novels, but for the time being we stick to building sandcastles, water games, digging worms and culvitating the art of dolce far niente. All of this sprinkled with unsolicited kisses from my part and a fair dose of cuddles.

As far as reading is concerned, I have come to develop a tendency to fill my summer gaps with titles which have summery connotations to me or which I deem as vivacious, refreshing, playful and scintillating as my favorite season of the year. Books which speak of wandering and exploration, on which you can immersed yourself back again and again after steping off the focus track, because, we are mums after all, and mums are multitaskers…And we are used to being “interrupted” from time to time.  So no, James Joyce’s Ulyses no loger ticks the “summertime reading” box.

This is a brief selection of 5 titles which perfectly fit the category of summertime reading: fiction, a non fiction travel memoir, and a hilarious and moving set of chronicles.

A short history of tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka.

Far from being a treatise on engineering  in an slavic language, I assure you that this novel is definitively way more appealing than its title could suggest. The first novel of British author Marina Lewycka is a funny and witty one, difficult to put down. I ripped through it and could not help by laughing out loud at the sharp and humourous depiction of an extravagant family of Ukranian descent – hence the title – and their very own domestic predicaments.

City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert:

Elizabeth Gilbert never dissapoints and I have long entered her into my list of summertime authors. Published early last year, this book is the obvius candidate to any summer reading list: its refreshing, sexy and funny. I devoured this book with the sea as a backdrop – and some sqweaky voices in the background, too- and fell in love inmediately with Vivian, the protagonist and narrator, story, the depiction of 1940s, 1950s New York theatre scene and the bonding with the woman who were also part of her story. I think of this book as a tribute to womenhood. To all the resilient women, the hustlers and the troopers out there that had no other choice than reiventing themselves, and who were undeterred when it came to nurturing their sexual desires.

Wanderings along the Camino, by Anthony Bain

Whether you are interested in the mystic aura of the Camino de Santiago or not, it is truly next to imposible to not enjoy this book. Read it and you will find yourself trailing along with Anthony and William through wineyards, woodlands and the gravel paths of the Northern Iberian plateau,  feeling the pain of their own blisters, savouring Castillian delicacies -food and wine alike – and crying with laughter at some of the misadventures they run into.  The depiction of the landscapes of this leg the trail are so precise and vidid, that it feels as you were hiking across this part of Northern Spain with them, minus the blisters and the sunburns, of course. Funny, witty and full of wry humour, this is a book to read in one sitting. And, who knows, it might leave you tempted to walk the Camino, too.

I feel bad about my neck, by Nora Ephron

If it is said that old is gold, there is a reason fo it. First published in the early 2000s, Nora Ephron’s chronicles are yet so valid. They ooze sarcasm, humour and much tenderness, too. I believe she masterfully gives voice to the thoughts and tribulations of women as years roll in: aging, the pressure of maintenance ( and the pressure of the patriarchy, too) the contradictions women face confronted with such pressure, the lights and shadows of motherhood, menopause, becoming an empty nester… So much packed in her accounts of  a woman whose neck does not look as it used to do. The book went down as a treat and it felt was if I was chatting with a friend as we were sipping wine, drinking and laughing our troubles away and venting our spleen – always with humour, mind you – . It was that bubly and enjoyable. Take note of the “Things I wish I had known” chapter, as it is filled with wise – and actionable- advice.

 Atonement by Ian McEwan

Surely, there is nothing humorous and refreshing about Ian McIwan´s novel , set in the midst of World War II and the gruesome story it recounts. If I put this novel in my summertime reading list is because Atonement will forever remind me of summer. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the event central to the plot takes place in a sweltering summer in 1935, or maybe it is because the story gripped me from page 1 and kept me awake in the early hours of the morning while I read it, because I was unable to put it down. Truth is, this novel will forever speak of summer to me.

Do you have a preferred genre of literature to read when the temperatures soar and/or while on holidays? I’m currently reading Edna O´Brien August is a wicked month, quite evocative of summer, I must say, amongst other delightful traits.

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