In my book (haha), one of the perks of being a student means that, come every summer, I have an obscene amount of time with which to entertain myself. Although some of this is ciphoned off by work, starting research for my upcoming dissertation, and possibilities further limited by my imagination/lack of and laziness, there is still plenty of time for me to work with. At some point I will inevitably end up settling down, preferably in the sunshine - getting a tan makes me feel like a better person, and due to my constant failure to apply fake, this is the only way I can achieve a bronzed glow - and leafing through a good (hopefully) book.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is one of my most recent reads, and was one that really absorbed me. This book is a heart-wrenching, yet simultaneously, warming story. It is mainly set in 1964, South Carolina and is told from the perspective of 14 year old Lily Melissa Owens, who is delightfully funny, even when negotiating tragic circumstances and a narrative fraught with racial and personal tensions. If you are looking for an entertaining and thoughtful summer read, but wish to avoid all things grey (I do not blame you) then, why not, give it a go.
