• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Big Girl Blue.com

Moe's Favourite Things

  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / BellaOnline / 10 Summer Reading Classics

10 Summer Reading Classics

Here are my suggestions for some summer reading classics. We tend to focus a lot on the writers of the 19th century. With this list I tried to include an assortment of novels from other centuries. Amazingly, all are still available. The old really is new again.

I’ve listed them in alphabetical order but feel free to read them chronologically or mix them up.

Anna Karenina / Leo Tolstoy (1877) – This story has found new life thanks to Oprah and her book club. The story centers around Anna, a married Russian woman, trapped in a loveless relationship. In an effort to avoid an unhappy life she begins a secret relationship with Count Vronsky. 864 pages are coated with love, angst, anger, jealousy and guilt. All derived from affairs of family, affairs of society and affairs of the heart.

Canterbury Tales, The / Geoffrey Chaucer (1386-1400) – A collection of twenty five stories, or tales if you prefer, featuring such lively characters as a knight, a nun, a miller, a cook, a friar, a physician, a monk and many more. Each character or pilgrim has their own story that is told during their journey to Canterbury. Chaucer’s 528 page collection gives an interesting and sometimes comical look into fourteenth century English life.

Don Quixote / Miguel de Cervantes (1605) – The adventures of a knight, Don Quixote, and his suire, Sancho Panzo are the focus of this 1056 page literary classic. Translated many times over, this latest addition has been a pleasure for many Quixote fans.

Great Gatsby, The / F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) – Visit the decadence of 1920s New York. Jay Gatsby made himself fabulously wealthy to get the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately she married another man. Through a series of planned meetings they end up together but their relationship leads to devastating consequences neither could have predicted. A quick read at 180 pages.

Gulliver’s Travels / Jonathan Swift (1726) – Lemuel Gulliver is an adventurer with a love for the sea. On four separate excursions he encounters habitants not characteristic to every day life; the mini Liliputians, the giant Brobdingnags, the intelligent Houyhnhnms and the deformed Yahoos. Each though physically different have moral and philosophical representations to societal life. An entertaining 336 pages.

House of Mirth, The / Edith Wharton (1905) – Lily Bart is a New York socialite with little means other than her beauty and wit which have allowed her to live, for some time, off the attractions of wealthy suitors. She is quickly approaching thirty and realizes she will have to make a decision if she is to maintain the social standing she’s become accustomed to. A comfortable 352 pages.

Madame Bovary / Gustave Flaubert (1857) – Once considered notorious for it’s lavish content, it is now a bestseller. Emma Bovary is bored with her life, despite being married to a doctor and having a beautiful daughter. She begins a series of affairs to fill her time. 328 lustful pages.

Mrs. Dalloway / Virginia Woolf (1925) – What does one day in a life look like? Woolf shows the reader what happens in the life of Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares for a party and is constantly interrupted by people, events and her own thoughts. Another short read, at 216 pages.

Portrait of a Lady, The / Henry James (1881) – Isabel Archer is an American in London. Time has come to find a suitor. She unexpected comes into a nice fortune which makes her task all the more difficult. A rich story full of deceptions and secrets. 656 pages to keep you busy.

Utopia / Thomas More (1516) – Welcome to the fictional island of Utopia, where laws are few, no one goes hungry and equality just happens. This 176 page documentation delivered interesting concepts long before it’s time.

Have a great summer getting reacquainted with some classics.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

My Name is Moe

Moe Wood
Thanks for joining me on my journey. I hope you will leave a comment before you go. To learn more about me check out my "about me" page.

Connect with Me On…

FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterestYou TubeEmail Me

What I’m Obsessing Over Now

https://youtu.be/w7rewjFNiys

What’s Happening…

biggirlblue

The giant lilies opened while we were out. The giant lilies opened while we were out.
I haven’t seen these poppies for at least ten ye I haven’t seen these poppies for at least ten years. Now I have three.
We decided at the last minute to drive over to the We decided at the last minute to drive over to the grocery store parking lot to see a few of the fireworks. Look who was waiting for us to return.
Lots of flowers on our walk today. Butterflies sho Lots of flowers on our walk today. Butterflies should be here soon!
Little storm came through and left very quickly. Little storm came through and left very quickly.
Enjoy the little things, have a beautiful day. Enjoy the little things, have a beautiful day.
Bunny, take 2! Bunny, take 2!
Bunny! Bunny!
Garden update. Filling in! Garden update. Filling in!
Things are filling out in the garden. Today, I add Things are filling out in the garden. Today, I added mini rabbits I bought on FB marketplace. #gardening #birdbath #tulips #ferns #hostas #trillium #bleedinghearts #rabbits
Found this big guy hanging out on one of our cedar Found this big guy hanging out on one of our cedar trees watching ants go by. I told him to get to work but he just pretended I was talking to the rock behind him. He’s about the size of the palm of my hand. We used to have a fist size one for many years but I haven’t seen him in a long time. #toads #gardenfriends
Back in TO to get some stitches to fix the tear in Back in TO to get some stitches to fix the tear in my eye. Then Swiss Chalet! LOL it’s become a routine. PMH then SW. LOL
The new garden is coming along this spring! I just The new garden is coming along this spring! I just remembered I have glass rocks and bunnies to put in!
#succulents So tiny. So cute. #succulents So tiny. So cute.
We walked a new trail today. Not super long, maybe We walked a new trail today. Not super long, maybe 1.5km. So beautiful out today.
Wild violets? In front yard. Wild violets? In front yard.
The greenery is a little bigger and a few flowers The greenery is a little bigger and a few flowers have opened. Do you know what these little blue guys are? I don’t remember planting them but there is a lot in back garden.
Gratuitous kitty shot. Just happen to be walking b Gratuitous kitty shot. Just happen to be walking by and asked if I could take her pic. She said, “Sure, whatever’s.” So I did.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Currently Reading

Marie Lu's Skyhunter
This ARC was gifted me to review and I have finally been able to crack it open. So far so good. Marie Lu Skyhunter

Stop Biting the Tail You’re Chasing

Tolerance
"No matter in what situations we find ourselves, when we don’t have so many opinions and preferences we naturally experience more peace of mind. We feel more agreeable, more comfortable, and more able to fit in with others. When we are more tolerant, not only do our minds’ stability and experience of meditation improve, but the conduct of our body, speech, and mind also improves because we stop being so reactive."
Find this book on Amazon.ca:

Or Amazon.com.

Expand Your Mind with a Quote

Quote Writing Prompt: read Mary Kay Ash quote, contemplate, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read this Amy Tan quote, contemplate it, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read E. W. Howe quote, contemplate, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read C. P. Snow quote, contemplate, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read this Ruth Benedict quote, contemplate it, then write for fifteen minutes.
Quote Writing Prompt: read this Eric Berne quote, contemplate it, then write for fifteen minutes.

Footer

My Current YouTube Addiction — Check out Trent and Allie

https://youtu.be/xgfw_ogCy7A

RSS Subscribe to my feed:

  • Evive Smoothies
  • MasterClass Steps Up Learning
  • Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow

Learn to Play Ukulele

https://youtu.be/MVqxKEaQHM0

· Copyright M. E. Wood© 2022 · WordPress ·

Take a Random Look ARound

anna scholz authors biw member interview biw tips body image books bras Etsy handbags igigi Interviews journaling ideas Lane Bryant lingerie literary fiction literature nail polish novels plus size active wear plus size career wear plus size clothing plus size clothing sales Plus size denim plus size dresses plus size halloween costumes plus size jeans plus size maxi dresses plus size party dresses plus size swimsuits plus size t-shirts plus size tops reading squidoo lens building tips swimwear Threadless tops visual writing prompts writers writer´s block writing advice writing lessons writing life writing prompts writing related books writing tips