Summer is the time that rekindles passions and comforts that are so mercilessly tormented out of us by the throngs of routine and stress throughout the rest of the year. Within its blurred, sun-soaked walls, it is easy to devour page after page, as easy as it is to eat fruit after fruit. With the arrival of the autumn equinox, we asked our team of editors which books really captivated them over the hot months gone by.
Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion
“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began, about the exact point in space and time that was the difference between Maria and other.”
Known for her rhythmic, flowing, witty prose, Joan Didion was the author with whom I became acquainted this summer. Like her articles in Vogue, Play It as It Lays looks at the world from a different angle, while assailing line after line of tragedy and loss at the reader. Set in 1960s Los Angeles, the novel follows Maria Wyeth – an unemployed actress – through her internal monologue, as she spends most of her time travelling between friends’ houses and in tumultuous relationships, both romantic and familial. It is obvious that Maria’s life is littered with instability, primarily within her own head. Play It as It Lays seizes the glamour of life in Hollywood and twists it to depict the nihilism and illusions of living in such a time – “a generation made ill by too much freedom”. The dusty setting of 1960s LA made for a perfect discovery in our own humid summer, and made for a book that I scrambled through in about two days.
Words by Maariya Daud, Head Books Editor
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
“If I were an amoeba, he thought, with an infinitesimal body, I could defeat ugliness. A man isn’t tiny or giant enough to defeat anything.”
This summer I immersed myself in Japanese fiction for the first time, and The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea is certainly a tempestuous introduction. It’s as if the Lord of the Flies met nihilistic Japanese teenagers with an abhorrence for society and an obsession with masculinity.
Portraying the disturbing story of 13-year-old Noboru in 1960s Yokohama, whose obsession with Japanese traditionalism filters into his raging pessimistic existentialism, Yukio Mishima uses his characters as allegories for his hatred against the westernisation of twentieth-century Japan. Whilst the plot is filled with dark underlying themes, do not fear: Mishima’s poetic and lyrical metaphors and apparent love for Japan create an entrancing journey through the perturbing mind of Noboru, captivating you within the young boy’s thoughts.
If you were looking for a romantic summer novel to read at the beach, this is maybe not the novel to pack in your suitcase. However, the plot’s shock value, encapsulated by Mishima’s alluring flow of imagery, creates a novel that is very hard to put down and forget about.
Words by Willow Fowler, Deputy Books Editor
The Vampire: A New History by Nick Groom
“At midnight, the creature awakes and eats its own grave clothes and flesh. It may wait days or months, sitting in its coffin with eyes wide open, perhaps mumbling incoherently; but eventually it will visit its kin – starting with its closest relations – to infect them.”
The Vampire is a nonfiction book dissecting the bloody corpse of the vampire, covering its monstrous history from folklore, cultural history, and fiction.
This isn’t really a ‘summer read’, being mostly comprised of blood-soaked history and Gothic literature. However, it’s certainly suited to my interests, as someone who read Dracula at the tender age of 13 and had it completely rewire my brain chemistry, and summer is really the only time I get to read books. It helps that the book itself is interesting and well-narrated by Nick Groom, whose writing is thorough, informative, packed with imagery, and occasionally darkly humorous. It’s sort of a niche recommendation, but if you’re at all interested in folklore, Gothic fiction, or just fancy a deep dive into a very specific subject, it’s an excellent read.
Words by Anna Pirie, Managing Culture Editor
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea charts the course of a few days in the life of an old fisherman, exploring through him the battle between man and nature, as well as that of our internal emotional struggles against hardship.
It’s a short book, readable in one or two sittings, making it both a great book to read out in the sun on holiday, as well as utterly enthralling. There is not a single word that could be trimmed to make the story more succinct, and this, and along with the actual story and message of the book, makes it very hard to put down.
Words by Harry Sharples, Music Editor
Black Swans by Eve Babitz
Black Swans is a collection of short stories by Babitz set in LA in the late 80s and 90s, and essentially feels like a semi-fictional walk around LA; Babitz goes to tango classes, spends weeks at the Chateau Marmont, and enjoys many more elements of Californian indulgence.
I have been a fan of Eve Babitz since my pretentious phase at 16, where I would almost exclusively read twentieth-century feminist prose and only listen to The Doors. However, my love for Babitz’ writing has, for good reason, stuck. This is my third Babitz book and my favourite so far. Despite being a book drenched in Californian hedonism, which sounds disgustingly pretentious and mundane, Black Swans makes even the banal seem interesting. Babitz spends chapters talking about attending Tango classes and loafing around the Chateau Marmont, and it’s somehow the most enthralling thing you’ve ever read. Anything set in LA is going to feel like a summer book, and the way Babitz paints California makes it sound like the most sun-soaked, tomato-filled fun you’ll ever have. It’s a really gorgeous read and very easy to follow, aka the perfect beach book!
Words by Poppy Clayton, Fashion and Beauty Editor
Verse, Chorus, Monster! by Graham Coxon
An autobiography by Graham Coxon of Blur, offering insight into his life, career, influences, and experiences.
While autobiographies can often feel like an excuse for an ego trip, I thought that Graham Coxon’s was truly intimate, frank, and honest. The section on his childhood is particularly illuminated, and the openness he displays when writing about his previous addictions is both brave and perceptive.
Words by Samuel Chamberlain, Music Editor
