In this series, I recommend five classics each month that remind me of that particular time of the year. June has always struck me as a strange mix of peace and chaos, of beauty and discomfort, of consistency and change. I think this past month has definitely embodied those contradictions, as flowers bloom in the midst of so much pain and uncertainty. For this list of recommendations, I’ve chosen five classics that also contain inherent contradictions.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. This entire novel takes place over the course of a single day in June and contains a lot of language and imagery surrounding this month: “…what she loved: life, London, this moment of June.” Whenever I think of June I always think of this striking, poignant, beautifully written novel. Its two main story lines also provide the juxtapositions that I often associate with June.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. What may seem at first like a silly play unfolds to reveal a witty, satirical look at society, class, and social conventions. If you’re a fan of Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, then I highly recommend giving this one a try.
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. What appears to be a whimsical, hilarious of strange beings and countries that Lemuel Gulliver stumbles upon is actually a satirical account of society in the early eighteenth century.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Another satirical read, this one about race and childhood and society along the Mississippi River in the 1840s. An in important message runs beneath Tom Sawyer’s adventures and antics.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This topsy-turvy tale of a girl just looking for some entertainment contains creatures and scenes both whimsical and frightening.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this classics guide for the month of June!
With books do you associate with the month of June? What do you think of the books I’ve mentioned? Which books would you add? Let me know in the comments section below!
Yours,
HOLLY
I also recommend the truly classic,Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”
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Thank you! Definitely on my list of Shakespeare to read at some point!
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I read “Catch 22” and “100 Years of Solitude” during summer vacations and highly recommend both! For summertime reading!
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100 Years of Solitude is such a great novel for summertime!
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I associate summer time with the childhood classics, such as Harry Potter. During the long summer holiday (3 months starting from 15th of June) I usually had more time to read books of my own choice, so reading series was one of my favourite pastimes. Ah, those times 🙂
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Yes, definitely!! I used to read so much in the summers when I was younger ❤
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Love your choices, especially Alice’s Adventures. I’d add To Kill a Mockingbird and Romeo and Juliet (not because of the tragedy but because of the beautiful Italian setting haha)
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Thank you! Those are such great additions–To Kill A Mockingbird especially reminds me of June.
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I really love Mrs. Dalloway! It took me a bit of time to get used to the stream of consciousness narrative, but when I did, I just flew through the book. Great recommendations! 🙂
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Thank you! I agree, once you settle into the stream of consciousness style it’s such a brilliant book!
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Alice In Wonderland is the escapist whimsical tale I need now haha ❤ lovely post!
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Agreed! ❤ Thank you!!
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I read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland some time ago but really enjoyed it!! Lewis Carroll’s writing is just as great as the original (kind of creepy) illustrations. I haven’t read anything by Oscar Wilde yet which I want to change as soon as possible. Thank you for this list and great post, Holly!
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Oscar Wilde is such a great writer! Would also recommend The Picture of Dorian Gray by him–such a wild book! Thank you!
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Importance of Being Earnest is honestly one of my favorite plays ever. Oscar Wilde is just the best in general, but Importance is just–UGH SO GOOD. It’s also such a great summer rec, so thank you for reminding me it exists so I can go reread!
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Oscar Wilde is so great! I would LOVE to see The Importance of Being Earnest performed ❤
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I have been wanting to read Mrs. Dalloway for a while now, yet never get to it. Oh, well, I will, someday 😂
Thank you for this interesting list!
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Hope you enjoy it whenever you get around to it!
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Great list! I love Mrs. Dalloway. The stream of consciousness format makes it such a unique read. Alice in Wonderland is a great read for all seasons, though summer fits best I think!
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Thank you so much!
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Love the list! Mrs. Dalloway is on my TBR! Also I didn’t know that Gulliver’s Travels was a satire! Cool info!
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Thanks so much!!
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I can still recite whole monologues from The Importance of Being Ernest by heart, after performing pieces from it when I was in High School!
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That’s so great!
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Whenever you do these it always throws me back to my degree. I loved reading Alice in Wonderland and Mrs Dalloway at university.
I actually have been meaning to read The Importance of Being Earnest forever – it just seems like one of those I really should have read by now!
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The Importance of Being Earnest is such a great one–hope you enjoy! And writing these posts takes me back to my degree as well–I love writing them ❤
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Mrs. Dalloway will always be one of my favorites! ❤
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Yes!! Such a brilliant read ❤
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Oh one hundred percent yes for Importance of Being Earnest, Gulliver’s Travels and Alice in Wonderland for June! Actually, all the books on this list are perfect!
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Thank you so much!!
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