Features | A Summer Reading List

The sun is out and summer holidays are here. Long days and breaks from school or work mean plenty of time to relax and enjoy your favourite hobby. They also mean it's time to get serious about summer reading and I am here to help you build your perfect summer reading list.

The first thing you need for a comprehensive summer reading list is a cosy classic. My recommendations are I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith or Emma by Jane Austen, but any comfy story from a bygone era featuring lots of important walks in the countryside and innocent misunderstandings that almost ruin everything will do.

The next thing every summer reading list needs is a romance to make you swoon. For this I recommend Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins or Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, two sweet high school romances guaranteed to give you that summer love feeling.

No summer reading list is complete without a mystery to keep you gripped at the side of the pool. For an update on a classic mystery duo, go with Brittany Cavallaro's Sherlock Holmes retelling, A Study in Charlotte, or for something a little more mind-bending try Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart.

Summer days are good and long, giving you plenty of time to sink your teeth into something a bit more epic. If you're looking for a fast-paced, political fantasy, I recommend the Rebel of the Sands series by Alwyn Hamilton. If complex heists are more your thing then you can't go wrong with Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows duology.

Finally, what would a summer reading list be without a little bit of magic? My recommendations for modern stories with just a hint of the supernatural are Wing Jones by Katherine Webber, which features a small dose of corner of the eye magic, and The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, which features more than a small dose of straight on supernatural.