nut free nerd

Happy Tuesday!! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl) is to share ten books that give off summer vibes. Today I’ve decided to talk about something that might seem a bit strange at first, but that has become a summer tradition for me: Each summer I choose a big book to read. Most of the time this means a longer book, but sometimes it’s a book that “feels” big in my mind–one that is intimidating for some reason, perhaps in its density or subject matter. I look forward to choosing my big book of the summer each year. It’s so satisfying to check off that book from my TBR list come fall!

Today I thought I would share the big books I’ve read each summer since starting this tradition some years back, as well as a sneak peek at what my big book of this summer will be!

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Summer 2014: Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (654 pages)

Moby-Dick is the first big book I actively remember making a point to read over the summer. Not only is it pretty lengthy, but it also feels long. As someone who wasn’t the biggest fan of this novel, I can confirm that reading chapters and chapters of information about whales and whaling can be just as much of a slog as it sounds. However, I was glad to have read it that summer nonetheless and to check it off my bookish bucket list. Looking back, I actually think that I would probably enjoy it a lot more if I were to reread it now… {My review}

Summer 2015: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (548 pages)

Ahh yes, this is such a fond bookish memory!! I distinctly remember reading this book in the back of my family’s car as we went on a little road trip for a soccer tournament of my brother’s. I always use this memory to mark the beginning of my love for classics. While I had read many classic novels for classes prior to this, Jane Eyre was the first classic that I really fell in love with and that resonated with my at a deeper level. {My review}

Summer 2016: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1037 pages)

I so enjoyed sharing my thoughts on this tome as I read it! I ended up posting a series of five posts along the way and then a final review at the end:

• Part 1 – Thoughts While Reading
• Part 2 – Thoughts While Reading
• Part 3 – Thoughts While Reading
• Part 4 – Thoughts While Reading
• Part 5 – Thoughts While Reading
• Final Book Review

All in all, I ended up really loving this novel!

Summer 2017: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1156 pages)

I read this alongside a few other bloggers that summer (see my read-along intro post here) and it made the experience a lot more fun. I genuinely didn’t expect to really enjoy this tome, but I ended up pleasantly surprised. Tolstoy’s writing is fantastic, and I found myself connecting with the characters in ways I hadn’t thought I would. What I most remember from reading War and Peace that summer is how it made me think differently about history and literature’s role in interpreting and conveying history. If you’re ever wondering whether you should give this lengthy classic novel a go, I highly recommend it! {My review}

Summer 2018: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (171 pages)

You might be saying to yourself, “Holly, this is a very tiny book.” And you would be right. But this is one of those books that felt big in an intimidating way. From what I knew about Wide Sargasso Sea before reading it I suspected that it would significantly change how I think about Jane Eyre–fitting that they are both books I mention in this list! I had been meaning to read this book for so long, and when I did I thought it was absolutely brilliant. This is such an important companion to Jane Eyre, and I am so glad I finally got around to reading it that summer. {My review}

Summer 2019: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (442)

My big book of last summer was actually supposed to be The Stand by Stephen King (1327 pages) but I ended up getting only about a third of the way through it before law school started and it got pushed to the wayside. I had been meaning to read this book ever since I first read Lord of the Rings back in middle school, but I had been putting it off because I knew it would be a rather trick, dense read. The best way I think I can describe this book is that it is like reading a history textbook of Middle-earth. I’m not sure it’s one I would necessarily pick up again anytime soon, but I’m glad I finally checked it off my TBR!

Summer 2020: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1276)

SO EXCITING! This is the tome I’m going to try to tackle this summer, and I’m so looking forward to diving in. This classic was honestly not on my radar at all until pretty recently when I started seeing a lot of bookworms online say how much they enjoyed it. I’m so excited to see what all the buzz is about! Stay tuned for my thoughts on it!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this slightly strange Top Ten Tuesday post! Do you have any bookish traditions like reading a big book every summer? Do you like reading long books? Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY