The summer I turned thirteen my mom hauled my sister and I off to spend the summer with her and her relatives in Sweden. For two months we camped out in a sweet little house up North, spending our days walking, swimming, boating, fishing, and playing badminton.
And of course, reading. So much reading. A voracious reader like me should have known better than to take only four books on a two-month trip, and by the time our seven-hour plane ride was over, I had already demolished two. Thank goodness for my mother’s cousin. She very kindly let me have the run of her bookshelf while we stayed in her house that summer and because she was an English major in university (score!) I ended up spending most of the summer continuing my education in the classics.
Fast forward many years later (more than I care to admit) and I still can’t help but associate this time of year with classic literature. Maybe it’s because the days are brighter and longer, and provide readers like myself with more opportunities to delve into a juicy story. Maybe it’s just the warm, dreamy weather that makes us feel like we’re being transported across space and time. Either way, there’s a few old standards out there I still haven’t read which is why I’m filling up my summer reading list with classics to catch up on.
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
- To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
- Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’m always inspired by classic reading lists claiming to boat the most-loved books of our time, or greatest books of the century. It gives me great suggestions to expand my reading horizon, and whether you end up loving or hating the book, at least you can finally claim that you know what all of the fuss is about.
Psst- wanna see which books have previously graced my bookshelves? Click here. Want even more fun reading recommendations? I’ve got some for you here. Don’t forget to find me on Goodreads so we can snoop each other’s bookshelves and dish about our favourites.
Keeping Busy with B 