23 Books to Read in a Heatwave
Let's talk about sweat, baby
What do you read when it’s boiling hot outside?
After asking this question in a Note last week, I’ve realised that there are two schools of thought on the matter. One believes that you should attempt to cool yourself down by plunging into books about Antarctica and ice-skating; the other says you should lean into the stifling air and blinding sunlight by reading books set in sizzlingly hot locations, so you and your characters can sweat together.
I am definitely of the latter frame of mind - for me, reading about snow when it’s thirty degrees in my bedroom just feels wrong - so here is a list of 23 great books to read if you’re after the swish of ceiling fans, the scuttle of lizards on hot sand, and the rattle of palm leaves in the desert wind.
(Incidentally, how beautiful is the painting above? I could stare at that gorgeous summer light all day.)
Thank you to
, , , , , and all of whose recommendations are featured below along with some of my own. If the book is available on Project Gutenberg I’ve linked it in the title so you can download and read for free.Thanks also to all those who recommended ‘cold’ books - I may write a separate list for those at a later date if anyone would be interested? Let me know!
Greece
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Never less than hilarious, Durrell’s memoir of his family’s time living in Corfu in the 30s is rightfully a classic, as much for his lyrical, whimsical descriptions of the Greek flora and fauna as for the antics of his eccentric family.
Peel Me A Lotus by Charmian Clift
Clift’s memoir covers her time on the island of Hydra in the 1960s (it follows on from her book Mermaid Singing, about their previous home on Kalymnos) where they were part of a bohemian circle which included Leonard Cohen.
Bus Stop Symi by William Travis
Another memoir - this time of Travis and his wife’s sojourn in Symi in the 1960s. Although there are still amusing touches (why the bus stop on an island with no buses?) and dreamy landscapes, this is a more realistic book than Durrell’s and gives us a glimpse into the harshness of traditional life on a sponge-diving island.
Taj Mahal, Afternoon - Colin Campbell Cooper
India
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
The first in a series of detective novels set in Mumbai, this murder mystery features a suspicious drowning and a baby elephant - a recommendation that’s gone to the top of my TBR pile!
The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly
Another murder mystery, this time featuring newly-arrived detective Joe Sandilands investigating the death of a British woman in the 1920s cavalry station of Panikhat.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Kipling’s magnum opus (in my opinion) may be controversial today in its treatment of India and the Raj, but his storytelling and atmosphere is hard to beat in this tale of orphan boy Kim and his relationship with the Tibetan Tishoo Lama.
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Don’t take this one on holiday unless you’re willing to pay excess weight fees on your luggage! Set in 1950s India, the story of literature student Lata and her family’s attempts to find her a husband proves that a brick of a book can still be a page-turner. There’s an excellent BBC adaptation available on iPlayer as well.
A Passage to India by E M Forster
Forster’s complex and moving novel tackles colonialism and cross-cultural misunderstandings, when Dr Aziz is falsely accused of assault by young Englishwoman Miss Quested.
The Far Cry by Emma Smith
Recently republished by Persephone Books, this is the story of fourteen year-old Tessa, who is dragged off to India by her father in order to escape from his second wife (her mother). Elizabeth Bowen, reviewing it in The Tatler, described it as a 'savage comedy with a vicious streak’.
Egypt & North Africa
The Golden Scales by Parker Bilal
The first in a series of detective books featuring Makhana, a Sudanese private investigator in Cairo who lives in a houseboat on the Nile.
Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
The first in Mahfouz’s Cairo trilogy, from Nobel Laureate and one of Egypt’s most prominent authors, this book follows the al-Sayyid Ahmad family’s lives and relationships in the years 1917-1919.
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Centred around the North African campaign of WWII, this novel of shifting perspectives and doomed romance was made into a devastating film starring Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas in the 90s.
Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud
Freud’s semi-autobiographical novel sees single mother Julia following the hippy trail to Morocco in the 1970s - bringing her two children along for the ride. This is another one with a dreamy film adaptation (starring Kate Winslet, 1998).
The Sheik by E. M. Hull
The book that launched a thousand camels, this epic romance between headstrong Diana and her mysterious desert lover was a massive bestseller in the 1920s. You can watch the silent movie version, starring Hollywood heartthrob Rudolph Valentino, on YouTube here.
France
Imogen by Jilly Cooper
As the book’s non-PC tagline has it - the path of a jet-set virgin was a hard one. Jilly Cooper may not be ‘literature’ but my gosh is she funny, especially in this tale of shy vicar’s daughter Imogen and her introduction into the louche world of the French Riviera. The beach read par excellence.
The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden
A coming-of-age story set in a faded hotel in the French countryside, where Cecil and her siblings are spending the summer whilst her mother is in hospital. This is a reader recommendation I can’t wait to get stuck into.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
This scandalous bestseller from 1954 tells the story of Cécile, her father and his lover. Set by the sea in France, it made a celebrity of Sagan, who was only 18 when she wrote it. Best read with a disaffected air and a Gauloise drooping from your lips.
America
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The jazz! The parties! The beautiful shirts! This one needs no introduction from me. Dive in for a hit of glamour, 1920s-style.
Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty
A new writer to me and one I’m keen to explore - this book is a domestic drama set in the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s, and follows the week leading up to the wedding of the aristocratic Dabney Fairchild to Troy the plantation overseer.
Then There were Five by Elizabeth Enright
Another author who has been recommended by a couple of different readers, and who I wish I’d come across as a child! This story, part of a series of four, follows the adventures of the Melendy children when they’re left alone in their country house for the summer.
Other locations
The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers
Set in Hawaii, this is the first of the Charlie Chan detective series. Although Chan is a controversial figure today, Biggers actually wrote the character as a way of fighting back against the negative Chinese stereotypes so prevalent in the US in the 1920s - and he was based on a real Chinese detective who worked for the Honolulu Police Department.
The Trembling of a Leaf: Little Stories of the South Sea Islands - W. Somerset Maugham
An early collection of mainly rather melancholy stories from Maugham - for more on these (and to read one of the stories in full) do take a look at my post below.
The Sunday Short: Trouble in Tahiti
This is the first in a series of monthly posts in which I send you a whole short story to enjoy over your Sunday morning coffee. (Ironically, it will probably be a lot longer than my usual posts so you may have to click through to read the whole thing in your email).
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie
I couldn’t let this list go without a Christie - especially given the number of her books that are set in exotic locations. This slightly ridiculous spy caper is perhaps less of an obvious choice, but I’m a big fan of accident-prone Victoria Jones, and the details about life in Baghdad and on an archaeological dig are very enjoyable.
The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
Short stories from a master of her craft - the eponymous ‘The Garden Party’ is my favourite, setting you down vividly into the warmth of a summer’s day in New Zealand, and ‘At The Bay’ tracks a day at the coast from sunrise to nightfall.
The Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim
The sequel to Elizabeth and her German Garden, this continues the happenings of Elizabeth, the Man of Wrath and the three babies, as she attempts to spend a summer alone with her garden.
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
Another recommendation, this novel of naivety, lost innocence and forbidden love is set in the Norfolk countryside in 1900. There was a BBC adaptation in 2015 and also a film version starring Julie Christie in the 70s, which is on my watch list.
I had a list of extra films for watching when it’s hot but I think this post is long enough for now! If there’s interest I may do another post to follow on from this one…
Have I missed out your favourite hot weather book? Let me know in the comments! And please click the heart below if you enjoyed this piece.
Thanks so much for including my suggestion! What a marvellous list 😍 I thought of another one I love too - The Summer Book by Tove Janssen (yes! Of Moomin fame!) It's set off the coast of Finland and is about a grandmother and her young granddaughter who are coming to terms with the loss of the girl's mother. A beautiful exploration of life and nature on a tiny island.
Going to go back and take notes on this post, but OMG if you haven’t seen the film of The Go-Between … run, don’t walk!!