To discover upcoming releases and read new stories, Souderton readers are planning for the summer season by searching for stories with lighthearted plots, fun adventures and summer-like settings.
As summer gets closer, senior Grace Lettero said that the best books to read during the summer are ones that feel joyful as people read them.
“There’s just a happiness to them. They’re less serious than winter books,” Lettero said.
According to junior Anna Stratton, an important part of summer books are the setting, mostly in the fact that they “take place over the summer.”
Stratton said that she mainly likes to read books over the summer that are realistic fiction.
To senior Macey Trexler, books with “some adventure and a captivating plot” are also good to read during the summer.
“They focus less on the real world so it takes you into a different zone [and] they’re a little bit more relaxed,” junior Emily Rychlak said.
For many readers, summer is a time to catch up on their lists of books that they have wanted to read for a while but haven’t had the chance to throughout the rest of the year.
Senior Audrey Harman said that she plans to read some books over the summer that she did not have the chance to read before because she has time to do so over the summer.
“I want to read ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ [by Anthony Doerr]. I’ve been meaning to read it for a while now [but] I never got the time,” Harman said.
According to Lettero, she is going to read “Normal People” by Sally Rooney because she would like to watch the show but she feels she needs to “read the book first before watching it though.”
“Right now, I think the top of my list is ‘Conversations with Friends’ by Sally Rooney, just because I’ve heard a lot of positive reviews of it so I’m curious,” Trexler said.
Rychlak said that she sees summer as a time to step out of her comfort zone to try books in different genres that she doesn’t usually read during the rest of the year.
“I think the summer is a good time to venture out into every kind of author, not limit yourself,” Harman said.
But, for some readers, they prefer specific authors who have books that they like to read over the summer season.
Stratton said that she prefers books written by author Emily Henry because Henry’s books are mainly set during the summer and it helps her to get engaged with the book’s story.
According to Trexler, she likes author Donna Tartt’s books because “I think [Tartt] has a really unique style of writing.”
“Honestly, there’s a lot of authors out there and they all either have hit or miss books but I think it’s good to spread a wide net,” Lettero said.
For many readers over the summer, they like to find somewhere outside to sit and read due to the nice weather compared to winter.
Rychlak said that she likes reading outside during the summer because it’s more comforting than reading inside during the winter under a lamp.
According to Stratton, she likes to “go to Alderfer park and read” during the summer because “it’s nice there.”
“Just the fact that you can be away from all the other elements of your life and have time to yourself where you can be locked in and focused on the book,” Trexler said.