|| Summer Reading List ||

With exams finished for this year, I have now commenced into summer. I have three months off. Yes, three. I've been thinking, what on earth am I going to do to help prevent myself falling into a fit of boredom in which I end up watching repeats of Teen Mom and Game of Thrones. Well, for starters I will give myself a kick to get back into blogging, because I really do love it but I find it hard to find the time to plan, sit down and write a post, but now I have three months to spam you all with blog posts (lucky you.)

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Another thing I will be doing (or at least try) is to continue teaching myself the guitar so I reach a point where I don't sound like a 5 year old who doesn't even know what a guitar is. Fingers crossed with that one then!

But, obviously due to the title of this post; Summer Reading List, I hope to submerge myself into a world of literature. I love reading, I always have. I love how you can really lose yourself in a book, and feel almost a part of it. What with the English weather being what it is, curling up on the sofa on a rainy day with a good book and a cup of tea is like heaven to ones ears and I expect this summer isn't going I be too warm and sunny and this is how most of us will be spending our summers (unless of course you're lucky enough to bomberst off to a hot, exotic country.)

Anyway back to the point, this summer I hope to read as many books as I can, and not just trashy love novels, but real books. Real books with real characters and real emotions. I want to expand my literary knowledge, and broaden my understanding of what true literature is, and also just to see what the big hoo-ha about some of these novels is about.

Here is my reading list for the summer, I have no idea how many I these I'll get through, whether it's all of them or just one (which I really hope isn't the case as that would be marginally embarrassing.)

Currently right now I'm reading Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, which if you haven't read it, you should. It's absolutely beautiful. As is the film of the same title. 

Number One:

• The Great Gatsby 

F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Obviously one of 'the classics' amongst literature and I've wanted to read it for a long time but have just never got round to it. Also, I always like to have read a book before I watch the film version (yes even ones with Leonardo DiCaprio in!)

Number Two:

•The Old Curiosity Shop

Charles Dickens 

Other one of those ol' classics that I'd love to read.

Number Three:

•Buddhism: An Introduction

Teach Yourself

I bought this a while back because I'm really interested in the Buddhist way of life and find it fascinating. I thought reading a 'beginners' type book would be good and hopefully interesting.

Number Four:

•Eat, Pray, Love.

Elizabeth Gilbert

Unfortunately for me I saw the film before I read the book. (I know, it's horrible) But I loved the film so much, and my mum and aunt had praised the book so much, I thought it was about time I read it.

Number Five:

•Atonement

Ian McEwan

Well I haven't seen the film of this yet, so I have to read it before I see it. The film looks spectacular and for the life of me I have no idea why I never saw it. I think it may be one of those books I cry over so a better get the tissues ready.

Number Six:

•A Clash Of Kings

George R. R. Martin

Admittedly I'm absolutely obsessed with the TV series Game of Thrones, and if you're reading this having never watched it - go watch it! It's wonderful! Anyway, both my parents, and many other members of my family, read all the books long before they released the TV series but I never thought about reading them. When they started showing the series I quickly started on the books, but what with exams being what they are I got caught in a rut. I decided to stop reading the first one and just go straight on to the next as I ready know what happened.

Number Seven:

•The World According To Garp

John Irving

One of my mums books which she's read twice and my dad has read, and the book is so worn that it must be good.

Number Eight: 

•Catch 22

Joseph Heller 

Another one of my mums books, and was recommended at the back of The World According To Garp. I thought I'd give it a try, it seems interesting and insightful.

Number Nine:

•The Sea, The Sea

Iris Murdoch
I found this one on the family bookshelf and was immediately drawn to it because of the cover, it's just a photograph of the ocean. I know, I know, "never judge a book by it's cover", but as a person who loves the sea a lot more than many other things in the world I thought that it seemed fitting. The blurb portrays a lovely story line so fingers crossed the cover lives up to expectations!

Number Ten:

•The Lovely Bones

Alice Sebald 

I've seen the film and it's absolutely superb! And I've heard such wonderful things about the book I thought it was again about time I read it.

So there we have it, my Summer Reading List 2013. I might do some little reviews on them when I have the time - we'll see.

What books do you have lined out for summer? Any recommendations?

Libby

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