Is there anything better than summer reading? Well, let me qualify that. Yes. There are many important things (salvation, receiving the Eucharist, having a baby, getting married…..) that are better. But as far as simple pleasures go, it is hard to beat summer reading!
Perhaps it is the teacher in me, but I just can’t resist “assigning myself” some great literature to read over the summer!
Each year I try to have a good mixture of young adult literature (since I teach students to love reading), light and breezy reading, the classics, and Orthodox readings.
Just a note: I haven’t actually read any of these books yet, so I can’t claim to know whether they are actually any good or not yet. These are simply titles that have caught my eye or have been on my “To Be Read” list for awhile!
My 2018 Summer Reading List
Young Adult/ Children’s Literature
1.The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
A family moves from London to the country, near a railway. As they settle into life in the country, the children meet a variety of interesting characters and strive to prove their father innocent of the charges of spying. A classic in children’s literature.
2. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
Young Princess Irene is attacked by the goblins while out in the woods one day. She is saved by a young miner named Curdie, after which the two have many adventures together. Another classic of children’s literature that I somehow have managed not to read yet! I must remedy that at once.
Light and Breezy Reads
3. According to Audrey by Happy LaShelle
A friend of mine recently mentioned this book, and my interest was immediately peaked! A seventeen-year-old girl named Dove is shy and introverted, trying to maneuver a world of teenage drama. She spends her time painting and daydreaming about being in an Audrey Hepburn romantic movie. When her own chance at love comes, she asks herself, “What would Audrey do?” This sounds like the perfect beach read!
4. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
Set in England in the 1930s, Miss Pettigrew is accidentally sent to the wrong address, which causes her to spend the day with a glamorous nightclub singer. The two get into scrape after scrape together and somehow manage to find their way out. It sounds charming!
The Classics
5. From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne
A classic science-fiction novel, Verne’s masterpiece was surprisingly ahead of its time. A Baltimore club in 1865 begins to make a contraption that will send three of its members to the moon. Though actual travel to the
moon was a century away, some of Verne’s calculations proved incredibly close to reality.
6. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Another classic that I surprisingly (at least for an English major!) have never read. Kidnapped tells the story of David, a young seventeen-year-old, who has been recently orphaned and sets out to make his way in the world. Many adventures soon befall him as he is kidnapped and taken on the high seas. I’m excited to read this one!
Orthodox Readings
7. Letters to St. Lydia by Melinda Johnson
This one has been on my “To Be Read” list for so long that it is almost embarrassing. The novel centers around teenage Lydia, whose family recently converted to Eastern Orthodoxy without her. As Lydia prepares to leave home for college and is faced with a variety of temptations, she begins writing letters to St. Lydia, who (invisibly) responds and helps guide her.
8. Everyday Saints by Archimandrite Tikhon
Confession: I have been slowly working my way through this one for awhile. It is lovely, inspiring, and I hope to finish it this summer!
There you have it! My 2018 Summer Reading List!
What is on your summer reading list?
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