My Summer Reading List

A few days ago I posted about the idea of making a summer reading list and then linking them up and either picking someone else's reading list to read from, or taking suggestions from their reading lists to add to your own. I've been thinking about mine a bit, and I've divided it into two halves. The first half are books that I would recommend to other people to read, and the second is books I'd like to make a start on myself over the summer. It would be great if you wanted to join in, you can see the initial post and linky list here or use #srlchallenge on twitter to talk about what you're reading :-) 

Also, I spent this morning trying to make a button for this event, but I have realised that I suck at making graphics, so if anybody else feels like making one, please do!!

Here's my list:

Recommended for others:

- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Despite all the recent Michael Gove idiocy, I still think this is one of the most important books you can read, at any age. It teaches so much about justice, bravery, self-awareness and a plethora of other things. Also Atticus Finch is my hero. 

- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Just beautiful writing and the story is incredible. 

- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

- If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor. A story of an event which happens on a street one day, told in the most amazingly poetic way. Aged 18, this book blew my mind. 

- Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. This book will be on both my lists, because I read it as a teenager and thought it was amazing, but don't remember a lot about it. 

- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

- Wild Swans by Jung Chang. This is a hefty autobiography and tells about three generations of Chinese women; Chang herself, her mother who was a member of the Communist party, and her grandmother who was involved in the Royal Court. It looks like it's going to be heavy going but I promise it's not and the stories in it are just incredible. 

- The Good Women of China by Xinran. A little non-fiction book, really important reading if you're interested in hearing the stories of things which happen to women in China. 

- Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Brilliant memoir of Nafisi's experiences reading banned literature with her female book group in Iran. 

- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. A graphic novel, and the first I read outside of the fantasy genre. Also about Iran it somehow manages to be intensely moving and hilarious. 

- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. 

- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I love the way he writes characters and especially the ones who are a bit damaged. Beautiful writing. 

- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. Actually has a lot more to it than I expected and is vaguely hilarious at various points as well as having a pretty strong female protagonist. 

- The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Beautiful, beautiful writing and a gorgeous story. Especially if you're interested in fairytales and folklore, like I am, read it!

- Maus by Art Spiegelman. Another graphic novel, and yes, it is about the Holocaust which put me off reading it for a long time, but it shouldn't have. It's beautifully told and very cleverly drawn. 

- The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke. 

- This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz. Really little volume of awesome short stories, all of which are somehow intertwined and very well written. 

- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan. In my opinion, much better than The Fault in Our Stars. 

So that's my recommended list, and here's a (much shorter) list of things I'd like to read this summer:

- Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and  

- The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (for Mental Health Awareness Month)

- 1Q84 Parts 1,2,& 3 by Haruki Murakami 

- Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

- Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs by Jeremy Mercer

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Five I've already picked, and five I plan to pick from other people's lists :-) Why not make your own list and link up? Join in the fun!