CHATEAU-BIBLIO Episode No. 3: Summer Reading with Luke Edward Hall

The summer holidays are finally here and one of my favourite tasks to do before going away involves scouring my favourite bookshops for books both new and old. I love putting together a stack to see me through the following weeks. I do have a bit of an addiction to buying books. At any time of the year, even if I'm heading off for only a long weekend and knowingly won't have much time for reading, I'll squirrel away at least three or four hardbacks in my backpack. Of course I won't get through them, that's always obvious. But I like to feel safe in the knowledge that I have a variety of books on my person and can dip into whatever I fancy, whenever I want. I'm sure many readers of this post will understand where I'm coming from. Here's my list for the summer. Have fun with yours!

The Silver Book by Olivia Laing

Well, actually I've just finished this, but I want to read it again already. It is September 1974. Two men meet by chance in Venice. One is a young English artist, in panicked flight from London. The other is Danilo Donati, the magician of Italian cinema, the designer responsible for realising the spectacular visions of Fellini and Pasolini. Donati is in Venice to produce sketches for Fellini’s Casanova. A young – and beautiful – apprentice is just what he needs. OIivia Laing's prose is lush, sensual and evocative. I loved this book.

Rough Music: Folk Customs, Transgression and Alternative Britain by Liz Williams

Rough Music explores transgression in British folklore and customs from ancient Britain to the present day. From Bonfire Night to Wassail, Morris dancing, Mari Lwyd and Twelfth Night, along with events like street football and the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, Liz Williams reveals the roots and roles of violence, mockery, protest and public shaming. Liz also looks at alternative culture and modern protests, such as the Battle of the Beanfield and the Stonehenge Free Festival alongside the emergence of all-female Morris sides.

A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland

From a new voice in Welsh literature, A Room Above a Shop is an atmospheric and poignant story of a relationship between two small-town Valleys men during the late 1980s. As the two men work side by side in the shop, they also begin a life together in their one shared room above – the kind of life they never imagined possible. Unfolding in South Wales against the backdrop of Section 28, the age of consent debate and the HIV and AIDS crisis, this is a tender and resonant love story, and a powerful debut.

Open, Heaven by Seán Hewitt

Again, one that I've read recently but also one that I'm ready to read again. This beautiful debut by friend of Chateau Orlando, Seán Hewitt, really touched a nerve. On the cusp of adulthood, James dreams of another life far away from his small village. As he contends with the expectations of his family, his burgeoning desire – an ache for autonomy, tenderness and sex – threatens to unravel his shy exterior. Then he meets Luke. Unkempt and handsome, charismatic and impulsive, he has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle on a nearby farm. With the passing seasons, the two teenagers grow closer and the bond that emerges between them transforms their lives. James falls deeply for Luke, yet he is never sure of Luke’s true feelings. And as the end of summer nears, he has a choice to make – will he risk everything for the possibility of love?

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Perhaps not the most obvious summer read, but I've been meaning to tackle Frankenstein for years, and I like to have a classic in my stack of summer books. As we all know, Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was 19 years old, and it was published the following year in 1818. The book tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist in search of the secret of life who creates a monstrous creature in a secret experiment.

Temples and Flowers: A Journey to Greece by C.C. Vyvyan