As far as I can remember, I’ve always been a bookworm. Anything that starts with an 300+ pages and is not an instruction guide for any type of electronic device usually catches my eye. I try to read at least 1 book a week (unless it’s a giant one that entails a backpack to carry it around).
Vacations are optimal reading times (free time, read until you drop kind of deal). I always shop local and bring back a book of some sort, usually novels and I try to buy books from authors native to the place I’m visiting (side note : that’s how I got HOOKED on Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander). But let’s face it, most of the time I either read on the way to work (I am slowly but surely getting the hang of reading one a moving bus…), or at home in the morning or at night while waiting for dinner. During the weekend I always manage to save a little chunk of time to delve into my ever growing “to read” pile.
Since I’ve opened a GoodReads account, I must say that keeping up with my reading goals has never been easier. But now the trick is to keep up with my ambitious reading goal of 52 books this year – when I wrote it down I hadn’t factored in the fact that most of the books I have in my to-be-read pile are on the heavier side.
In case you’re looking for good books to immerse into this summer, here are my top picks at the moment :
- Vintage by Grégoire Hervier.
Reading in French isn’t something I do often, but when I found a bookstore open at 9pm at Quiberon that had reading recommandations on pieces of cardstock pinned to a third of the shop I got curious and picked the one with the nice guitar on the cover. The bookseller told me “You are in for a treat” – spot on.
If you have a soft spot for Rock and Roll, like guitars, a bit of crime novels and loads of dark humor, you are indeed in for a treat. Well written, beautifully documented (especially if you know a thing or two about Gibson guitars) and the type of book you can’t put down.
→ 1 day - Unseen Academicals, Guards ! Guards ! by Terry Pratchett.
Football. Police. Not my kind of subjects, unless it’s a writing subject for the master of the Discworld. I’m glad I soldiered on Unseen Academicals because as usual it has it all : politics, absurd society norms someone questions, gender/diversity/class issues, personal achievements and collective gains. Guards ! stood out because of the dry humor, and excellent dragon punchlines.
Let’s be real here : I have only 2 Discworld-related books left to feast my eyes upon. So it’s fair to say ANYTHING from Sir Terry Pratchett gets my vote.
→ 1 to 3 days depending on the current workload - Turner – menteur magnifique by Pierre Wat.
I am not an art expert, but I stumbled upon that book at my favorite bookstore and tought I’d give it a try. I only knew I loved every Turner painting I ever laid my eyes on, but had no inkling on anything else about him. Obviously, not a novel – but an informative read nonetheless that makes me want to pop in London for a couple of days to explore the Tate Gallery.
→ 1.5 weeks (mostly in 15 minutes chunks in the metro) - L’Odyssée Minuscule by Alcide and Arizorus.
I usually don’t dive into the children’s book section, but I am in love with Arizorus’s drawing style and creative mind so I did not think twice about ordering it. The story is well written, and I like that nothing is either all good or all bad – especially in a children’s book, I think that developing a critical sense is really important. The drawings alone are worth it, if you’ve got younglings nearby – or not – go for it !
→ 3 hours at best - Le Bâtard de Kosigan by Fabien Cerutti.
This is probably one of my favorite book series of all time. There, I’ve said it. It has everything I’m looking for in a series : mystery and magic, several timelines, endearing characters, historical fiction, and super well written plot twists that make you second guess your idea of the whole series in the blink of an eye. Plus, I love books written by historians and role player gamers, because of the small details (what type of armor was used at the time, how power was distributed among duchies and other political details that make the whole thing more believable).
→ 1 to 2 days - The Long Way To A Small And Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
Finding sci-fi I can stomach doesn’t happen often. I get easily bored with the whole “let’s talk technical spaceship lingo” and the pace of most of the books I’ve read from the genre is usually on the long and contemplative side. None of that in the Wayfarer series I’m guessing ! First of all, this is an actually funny one (picture me stifling a fit of the giggles on a packed train for 2 hours), and it touches down on super serious topics such as inter-species relationships and politics (imagine a world where humans are sentient beings, but not after being voted into an intergalactic council…) without being too forceful about it.
→ 1 day
Good reading friends !
Playne 