Here are some books to take in your suitcase and read all summer long, whether you’re stretched out on your towel, taking a break before your next dip in the ocean or lazing in the shade of a beach umbrella.
Cover photo: Christina Terzidou
#1: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Famous the world over, this comedic play tells the whimsical tale of love stories in the royal court of Athens, sliding between an enchanted world and an imagined dream. We follow the characters Hermia, Egeus, Demetrius, Lysander and Titania, whose far-fetched adventures are described with more than a hint of satire.
88 pages, published in France by Le Livre de Poche (€2)
Photo: Marjolaine Hallacq
#2: L’homme aux mille visages by Sonia Kronlund
“The Man With a Thousand Faces” is an investigation that takes the form of a thriller. As the pages turn, the author sets off in search of a man whom no one really seems to know. Is he a con man? An imposter? A love fanatic? Sonia Kronlund tells us how many women fell into his trap.
180 pages, published in France by Éditions Grasset (€19)
Photo: @lesvoyagesheures on Instagram
#3: Bunny Lake is Missing by Evelyn Piper
We are in the 1950s. A young single mother drops off her three-year-old daughter at her new day nursery. The two have just moved there from New York. Later in the day, when the woman arrives to pick her up, her child is nowhere to be seen: no one around her has ever seen the little girl. A gripping thriller, adapted to the big screen by Otto Preminger in 1985.
256 pages, published in France by Éditions Denoël (€21)
Photo: @sorotheque on Instagram
#4: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Destination: North Carolina. This is where Kya, abandoned by her family when she was just 10 years old, finds refuge. While she learns to live alone in the marsh, she crosses paths with a man who promises her a new life. A hymn to nature and courage. A book that’s impossible to put down.
480 pages, published in France by Éditions Seuil (€22.50)
Photo: @laplumedeco on Instagram
#5: Bluets by Maggie Nelson
An essay, tale or poem? This book is all of these rolled into one. A hybrid object that picks apart a devouring passion for the colour blue, in first person. A speech punctuated with philosophical and artistic references, constructed like a long list of reasons for her obsession. To peruse at the beach or poolside.
112 pages, published in France by Éditions du sous-sol (€14.50)
Photo: @grembooks on Instagram
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