If your idea of a perfect reading day consists of lounging poolside or at the beach, setting up a picnic blanket in your backyard, or curling up in your favorite chair next to a sunny window, there’s something to be said for taking advantage of the sun’s bright light to illuminate the pages of a captivating book.
Goodreads users also feel the same way, going so far as to create a list of the best books to read when the sun is shining high in the sky, from stories about mythical creatures to a mystery that propels its protagonist to uncover the truth behind her father’s wrongful imprisonment.
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At the top of the list is The Matchbreaker Summer by Annie Rains, which has an average 3.36 out of five stars on the bibliophile social media site. It tells the story of two teenagers who set out to break up a relationship, and in the process, find that they have more in common than they originally thought. “This was a cute, fun, feel good summer romp!” said one reviewer, writing, “If you enjoy slow burning, character driven, cutesy romance novels, this one’s for you!”
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store, written by Keigo Higashino and translated by Sam Bett, takes the second spot. The book, with an average 4.41 out of five stars, is about three robbers who hide out in a general store, where they find out that the former shopkeeper would advise letters passed through the store’s mail slot. They do the same, and readers quickly learn that the characters and scenarios presented are perhaps not as separate as initially presented. “The only downside of this book? It ends,” said one five-star review.
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In third place is perhaps the most well-known of the books on the list, L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. The first in a series of books that follow a precocious redheaded child as she gets adopted by kindly strangers, comes to love her new life on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and sees the world in brilliant ways thanks to her vibrant imagination, has been a childhood staple for generations since it was first published in 1908. The novel and its sequels have been translated into both film and television, with its most recent iteration, Anne With an E, premiering simultaneously on CBC and on Netflix in 2017.
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