I am so. excited. for summer! It came a little early this year, which was much appreciated, but I've been just so looking forward to pleasure reading again! As part of my uni degree, I have to read a lot anyway, so some of the books I want to check off my list are ones that I started for college and didn't end up finishing. I've already completed a couple of them almost a week into my summer break. Most of them are totally unrelated to anything I've been advised to read, which really excites me! It feels like freedom.
So, here is my summer 2018 reading list:
1. Good Wives - Louisa May Alcott (finish)
I read Little Women for college back in December and really liked it, so much so that I started part two, Good Wives, but quickly ran out of time to read it. I finished this a couple of days ago, and didn't like it as much as Little Women, but it was still fun to see the girls grow up even more.
2. Penguin Parallel Texts: Short Stories in German (finish)
I really didn't like this collection, so I'm not advocating any of you join me in reading it, but I only had 2 short stories left to go so felt like I had to get it out of the way. Even though the stories themselves aren't that entertaining, it's always good to pick up new vocabulary!
3. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
One of my friends got this for me for my birthday last year, and I still haven't started it. I know the series is quite popular, and it's honestly been quite a while since I've read anything categorically dystopian, so I'm looking forward to it!
4. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce (finish)
I read Dubliners for college and loved it so much that I did an essay on it. Then proceeded to start A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and liked it a lot, though it took me twice the amount of time to read than a normal book! I ended up not finishing it just because I didn't really need to, but I am eager to get back into Joyce's world.
5. Der Weg Zurück - Erich Maria Remarque
I read All Quiet on the Western Front around 3 years ago and really really loved it. I've been meaning to read more Remarque, and so when I was in Germany earlier this year, I thought it a good chance to buy and read some in the original language: German. I'm sure I'm going to find it a challenge, but I'm also sure that I'll learn a lot along the way!
6. The Last September - Elizabeth Bowen
There isn't any special reason that this is on my list, other than the fact that it's been sitting on my bookshelf for half a year begging to be read! I'm going in with minimal expectations which I always find pretty interesting.
7. Ariel - Sylvia Plath (finish)
I love Plath. Her poetry is so real and so depressing at the same time. I've been reading this on/off throughout the year, because I'm not someone who can just read a ton of poetry in one go. However, I am enjoying(? Is that even the right word?) it so far!
8. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
I read The Old Man and the Sea around 2 years ago and liked it terribly much, so have been meaning to delve into Hemingway's writings more. Hopefully I enjoy it just as much.
9. Der Schwarze Obelisk - Erich Maria Remarque
This Remarque has been recommended to me, so I definitely want to give it a go. I've yet to actually purchase it, but hopefully I'll get a chance to do so later on in the summer.
10. The Land of Spices - Kate O'Brien
It's good to support female Irish authors, right? I just want to become better acquainted with my country's literature, and I've been loving it so far.
11. 1984 - George Orwell
I read Animal Farm ages ago without the context of the Russian Revolution. Shocking, I know, but what college student can go on without reading Orwell properly? 1984 is one of those books I just feel I have to read and think about.
12. Harry Potter und der Orden des Phönix - J.K. Rowling
Another confession I have to make is that I've only read the first four books of the Harry Potter series. I genuinely enjoyed them a lot, but they are pretty long so I took quite a break from them. The perfect excuse to pick them back up is naturally to improve my German, so I plan to read Book #5 in translation.
What do you plan on reading this summer? I'm always open to recommendations!
Anna x
the links to the books are amazon affiliate links
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