Now Reading
Your Summer Reading List For 2022

Your Summer Reading List For 2022

Here it is, summer has come back around again. As probably the time when people who aren’t natural readers read the most (think lying by the pool, on the beach, on the plane, in the park etc…), I’m keen to give hefty book recs as I know that’s probably the only time you normies will ever read them. At the same time, any average reader’s reaction when I hand them six 600-page-plus novels to get through is going to be a “Hell NAH”, so I’ve satisfied myself with giving you average-to-shorter novels, that also aren’t so emotionally heavy to read. We’re on holiday, we don’t want to be crying on the beach.

I’m going to be taking a leaf out of my own book, and reading some lighter-hearted books this summer, as lately I’ve been reading the newest Hanya Yanagihara novel (good, but heavy – both metaphorically and physically) and breaking that up with an even more depressing novel about the Vietnam War called ‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ by Ocean Vuong. The writing is absolutely fantastic, but I genuinely almost threw up on the tube the other day while I was reading it. A super visceral reaction to the extraordinary capability of human cruelty, especially in times of war. So… yeah, I think it’s time for a break.

If you haven’t read the first book by Elodie Harper, ‘The Wolf Den,’ then I strongly advise you to read that first as ‘The House With The Golden Door’ is the sequel, but the series is just so good, I had to include it.

I’ve included a book of poetry for your lazy intellectuals which will take avid readers about half an hour to consume, but I’m really enjoying Wendy Cope at the moment, and I think you will too.

‘The Shepherd’s Hut’ by Tim Winton is a book that I’ve had sitting on my shelf for ages. You know, those kinds of books that don’t look that appealing, so they just sit there on the shelf getting less and less interesting. Well two weeks ago, I thought, ‘Why the hell not?’ feeling wild and spontaneous, so I picked it up and read it and it was amazing. You couldn’t find a novel more Australian, more bogan, or one that was more honest.

As for me, I’ll be with you reading ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a wonderful way of making it all come together in the end for a clever and highly anticipated climax, as well as leaving you imagining the characters trotting off into the sunset – for better or for worse. Hopefully, that’s what we’ll all be like this summer.