Summer is almost here, and we will have more time to read because of the holidays. But what to read in summer? This year’s best sellers or light romances on the beach? Why not keep up with the classics? Here is a selection of 10 classic books taking place in summer or about summer-related topics. Not to worry, there is romance here too, and suspense, even horror!
Because it takes place in summer
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novella with two major screen adaptations. It was published in 1925. It takes place in the summer of 1922 in New York.
Premise: Jay Gatsby throws wonderful parties to impress and reconnect with Daisy Buchanan, a former crush.
Keywords: big parties • jazz age • romance • drama • influence of the past • obsession • American dream
Status: in the public domain
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley is a novel published in 1953. It takes place in the summer of 1900 in Norfolk, UK.
Premise: A young boy, on a summer vacation at a friend’s, acts as a messenger between two lovers.
Keywords: summer vacation • coming-of-age story • historical fiction • turn of the century • loss of innocence
Status: still copyrighted
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury is a novel, structured like a collection of short stories or vignettes, and was published in 1957. It takes place in the summer of 1928 in a small town in Illinois, US.
Premise: The summer of a 12-year-old boy in a small town.
Keywords: coming-of-age story • magical realism • historical fiction
Status: still copyrighted
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a children’s story published in 1871. It takes place in summer during the 19th century, in England and Wonderland.
Premise: Alice is sitting by her sister, who is reading a story, but Alice falls asleep and enters a new world where she experiences weird adventures.
Keywords: fantasy • children’s book • language and meaning • talking animals
Status: in the public domain
Because there is a new noteworthy TV series
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith is a suspense novel published in 1955. It takes place in Summer in the 1950s, in New York and Italy.
Premise: Dickie Greenleaf lives in Italy and wants to be a painter. His father sends Tom Ripley there to convince him to come back home and pursue more serious ventures. But Tom becomes more and more fascinated by Dickie…
Keywords: crime • thriller • suspense • Americans in Italy • eternal vacation
Status: still copyrighted
Because it is in the summer and at the seaside
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
Peril at End House by Agatha Christie is a detective novel published in 1932. It takes place in Summer in the early 1930s in Cornwall and London, UK.
Premise: Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings are vacationing in Cornwall. There, they meet Nick, a young woman who invites them to a house she shares with friends. Poirot tries to protect Nick because he thinks someone wants to kill her. But somebody else is murdered.
Keywords: murder mystery • detective story • cosy mystery • Hercule Poirot • by the sea
Status: still copyrighted
Jaws by Peter Benchley
Jaws by Peter Benchley is a horror novel published in 1974, and a major movie by Steven Spielberg. It takes place in Summer in the 1970s in the fictional town of Amity, New York.
Premise: Tourists are enjoying their summer holidays in a seaside resort. One morning, they discover the remains of a woman on the sand. A shark attack! But how can we protect people from further attacks when the mayor refuses to close the beach?
Keywords: horror • thriller • shark • tourism • tourist industry
Status: still copyrighted
Because it is an adventure on a desert island
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is a novel published in 1719. It takes place on an island and the story spans about 30 years.
Premise: Shipwrecked Robinson tries to survive on a desert island, or so it seems.
Keywords: adventure • desert island • survival • from enemy to friend • bromance
Status: in the public domain
Because it is a summer celebration and gathering
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare is a comedy play published in 1595. It takes place in a mythological world in Greece and Fairyland.
Premise: It is a web of romance subplots interconnected by the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta.
Keywords: play in verse • poetry • fantasy • romance • comedy
Status: in the public domain
Because it is a summer trip abroad
A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
A Room with a View by E.M.Forster is a novella published in 1908. It takes place in summer in the Edwardian Era, in England and Italy.
Premise: Miss Lucy is in Italy with her cousin and chaperone Miss Charlotte. There, she meets unconventional people at the pension, and it clashes with her conventional and uptight upbringing.
Keywords: romance • vacation abroad • heart vs reason • culture shock
Status: still copyrighted in the UK and in most countries, but in the public domain in the US
