Booking Through Thursday - The Essence of Summer
“Now that summer is here (in the northern hemisphere, anyway), what is the most “Summery” book you can think of? The one that captures the essence of summer for you?
(I’m not asking for you to list your ideal “beach reading,” you understand, but the book that you can read at any time of year but that evokes “summer.”)”
Well, I’m not in the northern hemisphere, but when I read this prompt, one book came to mind…
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Now, I know I have prattled on about this book more than once in the past, but I hope you won’t mind if I do it one more time.
I can’t tell you for certain that the first time I read this book was during the summer, but I’m fairly sure it was. And what a summer. I ended up renting that book from the library at least a dozen more times before finally being able to find a copy of my own.
The Blue Sword reminds me of summer for so many reasons. There is the fact that most of the book takes place in a desert, deserts are hot, summer is hot, yada yada. I think, though, that it reminds me of summer so much because summer is when I did most of my daydreaming and writing.
Oh, have I mentioned this is the book that inspired me to follow my dreams and write my own stories? (Before that I had always been writing, but the longer stuff was fanfiction.)
Time spent alone in the summer, daydreaming of story plots and faraway places or writing out those daydreams make up most of my pleasant childhood memories. I just wish I could meet the author to tell her my sincere thanks.
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