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We are quickly approaching our summer vacations here at the Studio and we keep asking each other: What are you reading? Do you know any good books?
I just keep recommending Gone Girl to everyone who asks (which I mean, have you read it? So good!) but I decided we needed to get a list from a few people that know books, like really know books…
So, here’s what our bookworm friends had to recommend!
Read it at the beach: The Vacationers by Emma Straub
This smart beach read chronicles a New York family’s vacation in Mallorca. Be sure to soak up this dazzling book in the sun.
Pack it on your road trip: California by Edan Lepucki
Terrifying and engrossing, a near-future novel that covers the distances we travel for the people we love.
Take it on your international flight: I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum
Set in two of our favorite destinations— Paris and London.
Totally okay to read at the hotel bar: The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O’Neill
Hip, stylish, and sophisticated, O’Neill will have you practicing your French on strangers all night.
Read it with your best friend: Friendship by Emily Gould.
Step 1: Read together. Step 2: Talk about it. Step 3: Hug it out.
You’ll want to read it twice: 2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino
This jazz song of a novel, out in August, will have you dancing through waning days of summer and dreaming fondly of sweaters and Christmas lights.
Will make you laugh and cry: The Book of Unknown Americans By Cristina Henríquez.
Gorgeously complex and moving, a love story that will break your heart.
What is on your summer reading list?
PS: If you are looking for books to read in French, click on the FR at the top of the blog to see the list!
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Thx pr ts ces bouquins… Ça donne trop envie d’être affalée sur sa serviette, les pieds ds l’eau ;-)
Alixxx
http://alixdebeer.com
Merci pour ces idées lecture!!!!
Bisous
Le monde des petites
http://www.lemondedespetites.com/
i’m re-reading ballard’s crash! :)
http://littleaesthete.com
Merci pour ces conseils!
“L’art de l’essentiel” de Dominique Loreau, qui parle de minimalisme, c’est super pour l’été quand on a envie de s’alléger, sinon “Dans les forêts de Sibérie” de Sylvain Tesson, écrivain voyageur philosophe qui est parti s’isoler 6 mois dans une petite cabane en pleine forêt de Sibérie. Magnifique livre.
J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé Les forêts de Sybérie, qui m’a clairement donné envie de tout plaquer pour aller vivre au bord du lac Baikal ;-), bon par contre j’ai trouvé que les journées de l’auteur étaient un peu trop remplies de vodka.
Le livre de Philippe Tesson est très recommandable en effet.
Dans un autre genre, je recommande l’excellent livre d’Irvin Yalom “Le mystère Spinoza” (2 histoires romancées et racontées en parallèle, celle de Spinoza au 17eme siècle et de Alfred Rosenberg, nazi notoire du 20eme siecle) ainsi que “Le Tarteret” de Donna Tartt, une histoire haletante autour d’un tableau de maître flamand.
Reading is a life pleasure and in summer… I love it! Great recommendations!
http://heelsandpeplum.com/
Merci pour ces conseils!
Perso, j’ai adoré la tri-logie “Hunger games” (et j’ai presque 40 ans hein!!). En plus, ca fait 3 livres à lire d’un coup ;-)
http://www.happyarli.com
Parce qu’au fond, je suis une chic fille, je vais vous épargner les 33 livres de ma pile en attente. Et ça, c’est sans compter les numériques… Alors juste pour le fun, Le Théorème du homard de Graeme SIMSION.( The Rosie Project en anglais).
Un peu à la Legardinier, drôle, léger mais pas si léger que ça quand même. Du livre qui rend heureux, quoi. C’est un peu le preincipe de l’été, non?
amazing!
xxx
http://www.dominiquecandido.com
Thanks for the recomendations!
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
Merci pour toutes ces bonnes idées de lectures, je vais m’en inspirer :) !
I love to read at the beach! Thanks for the advice!
Passa a trovarmi VeryFP
from the people that invented story-telling, pure, original inspiration and admirable use of language – don’t settle for anything less:
E.Hemingway > The Complete Short Stories
R.L Stevenson > Treasure Island
L. Sepulveda > The Old Man Who Read Love Stories & the Diary of a sentimental killer
M Bulgakov > Master & Margarita
V. Nabokov > the real life of Sebastian Knight
V.Makanin – UNDERGROUND or a Hero of Our Time
I agree, reading the classics can be great fun and reminds us how great a book can be!
I’d add to the great classics
– The Three Musketeers” (Les Trois Mousquetaires) which is fun, well-written, action-packed, a real bestseller!
– Huck Finn which is also so much fun and easy to read.
Alex, thanks for the bilingual book list!
Summer reading tips are always good, especially to discover books you normally would have never found. I am at the moment hooked on: Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn by Amanda Gefter, but that might be a bit heavy for a holiday (all about science and the definition of ‘nothing’) ;). I can recommend Sloane Crosleys essays as summer reading though. Plus, the books by Miranda July are a pleasure to read.
lovely list….
I recommend A Thousand Spendid Suns- Khaled Hosseini
One of the most beautiful books I have ever read!.
http://www.myclayexperience.com/
One of my favourite books! I loved it more than his most famous book, The Kite Runner (although this is also wonderful)
Thanks for your list, I a copying it right now. :D
Gone Girl was a good read. I recently read two books by Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch, which was amazing and The Secret History, equally good. On the beach last week I read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and laughed out loud!
Yes and yes! I loved The Goldfinch (The Secret History comes a close second to this for me) and The Rosie Project is so funny and cute, an instant mood lifter.
“Le cœur cousu” de Carole Martinez. Magique ! Une traversée de l’Espagne pendant la révolution avec des enfants aux dons/talents impossibles avec une mère aux talents de couturière grâce auquel elle lie les âmes .
A lire ou relire : “Cent ans de solitude” mais armé d’un arbre généalogique qu’on peut trouver sur google
Oh que oui pour “Le coeur cousu”, j’ai trouvé ça magnifique aussi! Un conte féerique mais cruel, de toute beauté!
Du coup Lucie je te conseillerai “Ce que je sais de Vera Candida”, dans la même veine… un conte sur une lignée de femmes, dans un pays imaginaire, très coloré! A lire sur la plage ou à l’ombre d’un figuier.
“wild” by cheryl strayed. it’s the new “eat, pray, love”!
xoxo
J’ai ADORÉ Gone Girl (en anglais)!!!
Thank you so much for this post. I have been wanting to read Gone Girl and the Vacationers. Your list reminded me to get myself to the library!
I will finish the second and the third book of the series My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard. The next phenomenon in literature…..
There is only ONE book you must must read this summer “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Drop everything else, and go for this beautiful story.
Merci pour cette sélection, j’en piocherai peut-être un parmi ceux là
Bisous
http://www.Lauralexo.com
The Accident by Chris Pavone – murder and intrigue, read the whole thing on a return home from Paris – well I had four pages left when we landed and finished those at the luggage carousel. Great!
“The Informationalist” by Taylor Stevens
“13 Hours” by Deon Meyer
“Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese
“Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts
Cutting for Stone is a beautiful book!
Je viens de terminer “Rien ne s’oppose a la nuit” de Delphine de Vigan, magnifique…
http://www.atelierpurple.co.uk
Tout à fait d’accord. Un livre remaquable.
where are u guys going on vacations to? For how long? I always love to hear people having long and relaxing vacations…
Parmi les bouquins que tu as sélectionné, j’aimerais beaucoup feuilleter Just Kids et Sans télé, on ressent davantage le froid.
Sinon dans ma liste de lecture pour cet été… Ensemble c’est tout d’Anna Gavalda, L’attrape coeur, Qui es tu Alaska, ou encore Le monde de Charlie (j’ai vu le film et le livre ne peut qu’être génial)
bisous Garance :)
http://wildlysweet.blogspot.fr
Read “Down the rabbit hole.” You’ll never forget it!
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez is a fabulous ‘cannot stop reading’ book about female friendship!
I just finished ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr, and want to begin re-reading it right now. Such a beautiful book.
Absolutely adored this amazing book, so touching and beautifully written – highly, highly recommend!
Yup j’en suis au meme point!!!
http://www.blushandbeyond.com/2014/06/24/recommandations-blush-beyond-pour-lete/
Et vous faites quoi pour le 4th of July??
Bisous
Alix
http://www.blushandbeyond.com/
‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie!!! Or ‘Half of aYellow Sun’ by the same author. Such wonderful, delicious, intelligent novels. Not heavy to read at all, but also not shallow. I just love her way of writing! Her collection of short stories, ‘The thing around your neck’ is also great.
Oh, and anything by Alice Munro, amazing short stories!
And I just read ‘I know why the caged bird sings’ by Maya Angelou, also a great book.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, it’ll change your life this book.
“Le jardin d’eden ” E.Hemingway
“l’Amérique” chronique Joan Didion
“Le troisième sexe ” Colette
Je recommanderais le superbe “Dressing”, paru en 2013 chez Verticales, de la douce Jane Sautière. Je vous laisse la critique de Libé par ici : http://www.liberation.fr/livres/2013/04/24/dessous-de-nippes_898710
Les habits nous voilent et nous dévoilent, cachent et exposent.
Ce livre est beau.
Thanks for the tips! I’m currently reading ‘In Europe’, a book about the development of the EU from the point of view of an author who travels to every important place in the EU history – in chronological order. Love it, particularly in the light of current events.
X STYLONYM http://www.stylonym.blogspot.com
Great suggestions! My summer reading is completely nerdy: I’m reading The Explorers. It’s about the discovery (or not) of the source of the Nile; it’s a great story of adventure even when I’m just sitting somewhere trying to enjoy the sun
Hello:
For summer reading, I suggest some of my favourites:
The Lover-Marguerite Duras ( the words….amazing!)
Silk-Alessandro Baricco (beautiful, lovely imagery and prose)
The Flanders Panel and/or The Nautical Chart- Arturo Pérez Reverte (mystery, intrigue and adventure. I love the way he writes)
Besos (bisous) from Argentina!
These each sound fantastic! Summer reading is the best thing ever…
xx, Kristi
http://www.currentlycrushing.com
North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person is an absolutely riveting memoir about surviving her upbringing by her counterculture family in the Canadian wilderness and subsequent search for normal which takes her life to the polar opposite world of modelling. You will not be able to put this remarkable book down and will be so inspired .
pas mal
Great inspo. I love books.
http://www.fashiondenis.com
YES YES YES Gone Girl is really good!!!
But now it became a real best-seller and it’s a bit too mainstream for me haha :) There’s even doing a film in cinema in fall but I don’t like the main actors, I don’t think they suit the characters very well… :/
The other books of Guillian Flynn are really good too but more creepy so if you don’t want to sound like a total psycho don’t recommend it to others and if you don’t mind, you can also look at the books from Mo Hayder, the first ones are really well written and really thrilling especially the Ritual, the demon of Nanking, the Treatment and Birdman.
Garance if you read this, there also a really talented french author, Franck Thilliez, that you should try. One of his book was even adapted into a film (la chambre des morts) starring Mélanie Laurent o/
happy weekend!
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is one of the beautifully written and compelling novels I’ve read in aong time.
Merci pour toutes ces pistes de lecture, je note, je note ;-)
Girls, if you’re looking for the best love stories ever, read Ana Karenine (Tolstoi) and Belle du seigneur (A. Cohen). Both amathing.
And also if you are looking for a place to stay in Paris : https://www.airbnb.fr/rooms/326106
I speed through The Other Language by Francesca Marciano. A great collection of short stories, perfect for a long summer weekend.
Michel Houellebecq great fiction http://www.amazon.co.uk/Map-Territory-Michel-Houellebecq-ebook/dp/B005HCI6UC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404592073&sr=8-1&keywords=map+and+territory
Jo Nesbo books
J K Rowling crime http://www.amazon.co.uk/Map-Territory-Michel-Houellebecq-ebook/dp/B005HCI6UC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404592073&sr=8-1&keywords=map+and+territory
Cumming great spy novel http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foreign-Country-Charles-Cumming/dp/0007346433/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404592320&sr=1-1&keywords=foreign+country
xxx
Merci ! une sélection qui tombe a point nommé !
You must read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. The Goldfinch is beautiful, serious, a total masterpiece. Crazy Rich Asians is the fun, trashy, fantasy novel about an insane and wealthy family.
Those all sound really good – based on the titles. I chose my summer reading based off the title too – The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson Mcullers – hot, Southern and soul searching. :-)
i just finished i am having so much fun here with out you and thought the happy ending was too sappy and sweet, the first 99% was great though! i am in the middle of euphoria by lily king a fictionalized account of margaret mead’s life and it is fascinating and the details of her work are amazing! enjoy! D
I’m loving “The Other Language” a charming collection of short stories by Italian author Francesca Marciano. Tasty little tales, perfect for reading on the beach between naps and swims. And how can you not love a story dedicated to a fabulous Chanel dress?
Exellente sélection ! Merci pour cet article ;-)
An Alphabet for Gourmets, by MLK Fisher
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
2 AM at the Cat’s Pajamas sounds adorable- on the goodreads list it goes! For summer I recommend:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – such an absorbing world, I can’t even recommend this book enough. It’s such a lovely reading experience and the story is unique and full of the unexpected.
American Lightning- nonfiction and completely absorbing. It juxtaposes the birth of Hollywood with the story of the hotshot detective who solved the bombing of the LA Times and brilliant orator Clarence Darrow. It’s so sensational that it reminds you that truth can be stranger than fiction.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane- another fantasy, very absorbing and a quick, quick read for the busy folks
Bossypants by Tina Fey- all I can say is grrrrl power
Anything by Maureen Johnson- well-written YA with compelling characters and heart. I’m particularly fond of “The Bermudez Triangle”
Happy reading everyone!
I read The Night Circus over a year ago and can still clearly picture the world the author created, such a beautiful book.
J’aime aussi une très bonne histoire! !
J’ai ecrit une liste d’ecriture pour été, mais, en fait, c’est en suédois. Alors, si on a intérêt de le lire c’est ici: http://www.robindenise.se/2014/06/sommarlasning_12.html
On peut utiliser Google Translate :)
The forty rules of love
A novel of Ruminant
Elif Shafak.
I just read a lovely book called “Life After Life.” It’s set from WWI-WWII and follows a girl through her life as she navigates her own reincarnation. I highly recommend it!!
“Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire” de Jonas Jonasson (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared) -un des meilleurs bouquins que j’ai lu recement, trop drole, humeur noir et plein de joie de vivre!
I’m reading Moby Dick. I decided to read it because it is one of those books that is so canonical I thought I knew what it was about, and one day when discussing it, I realized I was subconsciously dismissive of it as ‘Oh, American machismo, man vs. nature, blah, blah, blah… even though I had never actually read it. So I started reading it to see if my dismissive attitude had any validity, and it did NOT. Moby Dick is amazing! It is so brilliant and dark and funny. I can’t believe more people don’t talk about hilarious it is! I’m so happy to be wrong.
Reading Sonia Sotomayor’s memoir. And also The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing. So far it’s great! Earlier this summer I read Quiet – it’s a book about introverts. It sounds boring, but it’s life-changing.
I am an absolute bookworm, I get so excited over threads like this and seeing other peoples recommendations!
Perfect summer reading for me would be:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón a Classic with the undertones of a gothic Victorian novel (in this same category I have to add Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier).
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simpson for a giggle.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt for me the best book to come out of 2013, an epic journey with vivid characters.
City of Thieves by David Benioff is a little treasure of a book, set in Leningrad during WW2 with a snappy and at times funny plot.
Happy reading and lots of love! xx
Really thank you for this list! I am always on the search for some good books to read.
I am currently reading Slaughter house 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
http://www.Kallistheni.com
I totally recommend Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it’s a great one! xx
Damie
les villes de la plaine de Diane Meur, et l’homme qui parlait la langue des serpents de Andrus Kivirahk. Ah, et le canapé rouge de Michelle Lesbre. Tous dévorés!
As many commenters before me, I highly recommend both The Goldfinch and Americanah. Two incredibly smart and absorbing novels!
It’s not new but I enjoyed it very much and plan to read it again. Danielle Ganek’s The Summer We Read Gatsby, a perfect beach read, captures the spirit of New York’s most glamorous resort town, and will captivate readers with its spellbinding blend of romance, mystery, and charmingly eccentric characters.
I’m enjoying this list of recommendations, think I’ll try first Gone Girl and then The Girl Who Was Saturday Night.
Pas peu fière de faire partie de votre sélection, merci le Studio, merci Garance ! Et moi je vous conseille toute l’oeuvre de Marie-Hélène Lafon, l’un de mes auteurs préférés. Elle écrit des livres courts et rugueux, presque tous consacrés au fossé entre monde rural et monde urbain, d’une plume éblouissante.