Blue Books To Read This Summer

Welcome Back To A Day In The Life Of The Anonymous Me,

I love reading all year round, but there is something extra special about reading in the Summer. I was going to do ‘My Top Books To Read This Summer’, but quickly realised I had picked half of my bookshelf, so I thought about a different way of doing it. I noticed that quite a few of my favourite books I was including were blue and I feel blue is a summer colour. Therefore, here are my top blue books that I think you would really enjoy this summer.

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The sky is a blue canvas that has not yet been touched this summer – Moi

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The first book I want to suggest to you is We Were Liars by E.Lockhart. It is about the wealthy Sinclair family, who every year stay on a private island that they own for summer – it’s summery already. The book is told from Cady’s perspective, who is the heir to the island. One summer something happened and nobody is talking about it and now Cady is trying to uncover the truth and discover what really went on that summer. I read this last year and read it in a day – it is so mysterious and unpredictable. I had all these theories in my head and NONE OF THEM WERE TRUE. Emily’s writing is extremely poetic and it also dealt with family relationships, money, power and race very well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am sure you will too. I wouldn’t go reading up about it online first though as there is so much that could be spoiled. I only wish that the characters had been developed a bit more, so I felt closer to them, but other than that it was brilliant.

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The next book I want to recommend to you is On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. If you were reading my blog last year when I was doing Blogmas, you will know that one of my favourite authors is Ian McEwan. So, when I saw someone selling On Chesil Beach second-hand for a really good price, I picked it up immediately. Therefore, when I got home and read the blurb I was a little disappointed. I discovered from reading the blurb that it wasn’t exactly my kind of book. The blurb stated, ‘It is July 1962. Edward and Florence, young innocents married that morning, arrive at a hotel on the Dorset coast. At dinner in their rooms they struggle to suppress their private fears of the wedding night to come…’. I was a little apprehensive when I started reading this, but it was not what I was expecting at all. It was incredible. Although it discussed how the characters were feeling, it looked a lot at their lives up to that moment and the expectations of women then. The whole way throughout reading it I kept thinking about how much knowledge Ian McEwan has. Every ounce of the story is filled with excellent detail and I could visualise the scenes in my mind so clearly. The book is so subtle, one of the things I love about Ian McEwan. You come away from reading one of his novels and just think WOW. This is definitely one for the mature reader and I would not recommend it for those of you under 15. However, I don’t want to dictate what you read, so you decide if you are mature enough for it, go for it. Although the book is primarily set around their wedding night, there are only a few pages that contain graphic details.

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You might remember from my May and Half Term Wrap Up that I read Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell. In the back of it was a chapter sampler for Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard, which I really enjoyed, so I picked up a full copy of Beautiful Broken Things as soon as possible and read it in June. The novel is told from Caddy’s perspective and she goes to a private school for girls in Brighton. She is best friends with Rosie, who goes to public school. They have been friends for as long as they can remember, but this year their friendship is tested. In the opening chapters Caddy tells us her milestones she wants to reach before her next birthday are: to get a boyfriend; to lose her virginity; and to experience a significant life event. However, she sets these milestones before she meets Suzanne, who has just joined Rosie’s school. When Suzanne arrives, Rosie spends all her time with Suzanne and Caddy feels jealous about their friendship. It is not until Suzanne confides in Caddy that they begin to come close.

I am so glad that I read this book as it isn’t often you find a Young Adult book purely about friendship. It was beautiful, devastating, heart wrenching and insightful. I thought it was brilliant how the story was told from Caddy’s perspective because although what Suzanne went through affected her, it also affected her friends. Sara Barnard is an amazing author who doesn’t sugarcoat mental health or friendship. This book is so relatable, funny and truthful.

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The next book I want to recommend to you all was one of my favourite books of last year. I read it in May and ever since then I have seen it EVERYWHERE. You probably all know what book I am talking about; it’s All The Bright Places By Jennifer Niven. This book is told in dual perspective by Violet and Finch. They come from two very different friend groups, but then they meet on the top of their school bell tower. They form an unlikely friendship and work on a Geography project together discovering the wonders of Indiana. Although they go to many places, my favourite parts were the Dr Seuss bit and the gravity part on top of the Purina Tower. This book is beautifully written and talks about mental illness in a really delicate way. Lots of my friends have read this book after hearing how much I loved it and they all really enjoyed it too. The emotions the characters expressed in the book all felt so real and Jennifer’s descriptions were exquisite. The book was heart-wrenching, devastating, poignant, honest, but also lovely. If you have read the book you’ll know what I mean about ‘lovely’ *winks*. I am also really excited for her new book Holding Up The Universe to come out and also for the All The Bright Places movie which has Elle Fanning playing Violet. This is one of those books which you find yourself thinking about it long after you have read it and for me that’s what makes an excellent book.

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Another amazing novel that is blue is The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I have mentioned this book on my blog numerous times because it is SOOOOOO GOOD! It is about Lennie Walker, who is 17, plays the clarinet and favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. The book starts two weeks after her older and more outgoing sister’s death. It follows Lennie’s life and the decisions she makes after her sister’s death. If you have ever lost someone you’ll be able to relate to this so much. I remember when I read this and Lennie talked about what grieving meant I just thought to myself ‘that is so true’.  I really liked how Jandy Nelson dealt with relationships in this book and not just the romantic ones. The book looks at the relationship Lennie has with her Grandma and Uncle and also her feelings towards her absent Mother and Sister. I very much enjoyed the visual aspect of this book as you can see all the poems Lennie scatters around her town. I don’t want to say too much, but all the poems link together at the end and it is amazing. This book is breathtaking, relateable, funny and profound.

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The first four books I have recommended to you have all been YA contemporaries, so now I want to suggest to you some historical fiction. I am a huge lover of historical fiction, with one of my favourites being Regeneration by Pat Barker. However, the spine of that book is orange, so I am going to suggest to you one whixh is as equally fantastic which I finished the other day. It is All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I don’t really know where to start with this book. The writing and description are phenomenal. I can picture all the scenes so visually in my head; it feels like I am there. I also liked this book because I have studied Nazi Germany for GCSE and therefore when Anthony Doerr is describing how all of a sudden there was meat on the table in Germany and lots of people had jobs, I know it is because of invisible unemployment ect. The book follows a young French girl who is blind and a boy who is in the Hitler Youth. You follow them from their early childhood years as well as their lives in World War Two. Then you follow the story when their lives cross paths. The writing and story telling is exquisite and exceptional. The way it switches between characters and time periods is sublime and perfect. It is a very long book, but the chapters are very short, which I feel helped me get through it so quickly. I loved seeing how it all connected on the page. It was truly magical.

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The next one is another one of my favourite books from last year and it is by Ian McEwan. Can you tell he is one of my favourite authors yet? I am also very excited for his new book called Nutshell to come out at the end of the year. Anyway, I’m not talking to you about Nutshell, I am talking to you about The Children Act. Oh My Goodness! It is amazing. It follows the life of a leading High Court Judge called Fiona Maye. She is having problems with her husband, whilst she is leading an urgent case deciding whether a boy should live or die. The boy is a Jehovah Witness and for religious reasons won’t take the medicine he needs. It is up to her to decide on her own his fate, but either way there are consequences. This is a book that really makes you think. It makes you think about what you would do if you were in her position and what you would do if you were in the boy’s position. It is outstanding, prominent and marvelous. Like with the other Ian McEwan book, I would say it is not suitable for those under 15, but I don’t want to dictate what you can and can’t read. If you think you are mature enough for it, go for it, but do be aware that it contains strong issues in it.

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The last book I have to recommend to you I read in May. You can read about my initial thoughts here. It is one of my favourite books of the year so far and here’s why. The book follows two boys, David and Leo. David believes he was born in the wrong body and wants to be a girl. Leo has just moved to David’s school and is welcomed by David and his friend group. The book follows David’s journey telling his peers and parents that he wants to be a girl. In addition, the book follows Leo who is getting used to life at a new school and dealing with problems at home. This book is so prominent and realistic. It is informative, insightful and life-changing. It is a book I won’t be forgetting any time soon. I gave the book to one of my friends to read after I had finished it and she devoured it. A must read for all this summer!

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So there you have it – those are my top blue books that I think you should read this summer. Let me know in the comments if you have read any of these or if you plan to read any of these after reading my recommendations. Please no spoilers though – we don’t want to ruin it for everyone else! Also, let me know if you have read any other blue books that you think I might enjoy. I am always looking for great new books to read.

Happy Blogging! xx