The best way to enjoy the magical time between Christmas and New Year is to lose yourself in a good book and let time stand still. With a long hot summer ahead, pack these books and enjoy the summer holidays and let the world around you slow down and take a breath.
A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihar
A Little Life by American novelist Hanya Yanagihar is by no means a light summer read, but at over 700 pages, it's a good chance to fall into this epic novel uninterrupted. A Little Life follows the lives of four University classmates, Jude, Willem, Malcolm and JB across decades, slowly revealing history and secrets. Despite difficult content at times, A Little Life is a memorable and heartbreaking story beautifully written.
Goodwood – Holly Throsby
Loved this debut novel by Australian musician and songwriter, Holly Throsby. Set in the small town of Goodwood, the book is filled with beautifully painted characters. The story is told by Jean, who is on the verge of adulthood and finding her true self and revolves around the disappearance of two people from the quiet rural town. What resonated most wasn't the story itself, but how Holly Throsby told the story, with humour, beautiful descriptions and great characters.
The Dry – Jane Harper
This highly acclaimed book is still on our summer reading list, a crime novel that shines a light on the darkest corner of our sunburnt country. Another stunning debut novel by an Australian writer, thumbs up for Australian fiction!
The Best of Adam Sharp – Graeme Simsion
We loved 'The Rosie Project' series and were keen to read Graeme Simison's latest novel. It's a departure from the Rosie novels with 'The Best of Adam Sharp' exploring the themes of love, music and coming to terms with the past, although still told from a male perspective. There's a playlist at the back of the book if you'd like a soundtrack to your summer reads.
Paris is always a Good Idea – Nicolas Barreau
A light summer read, where you can escape to the beauty and romance of Paris. 'Paris is always a good idea' follows Rosalie Laurent, the proud owner of Luna Luna, a little post-card shop in St. Germain. Her specialty is hand painted 'wishing cards', which draws the attention of a successful children's book author Max Marchais who asks her to illustrate his next book. It's so easy to daydream and fall in love with the characters and beauty of Parisian life in 'Paris is always a good idea'.
You can read more of our holiday reading recommendations here and here and follow on Instagram with hashtag #alluxiareads.
What are you reading this summer?
Image: Pinterest, IG @alluxia
