Books of love, suspense, action… Whether you're on vacation or not, this summer you want to experience great adventures. That's good, Justfocus has prepared a small selection of books to discover on the beach, or elsewhere.
From the following in the ideas
After the crazy success of her first novel "Happy people read and drink coffee" (more than 300,000 copies sold!), Agnès Martin-Lugand returns to the literary landscape with her new title "Life is easy, do not worry". This young author had self-published her first book thanks to Amazon. In the meantime, she has found her shoe to her feet and her publisher Robert Laffont offers the continuation of her first novel, just as promising. A story of love and resurrection, to make it simple, very easy and pleasant to read. Some will say that there are many clichés in these two volumes, which also explains the film adaptation in progress… In short, two perfect books for the summer!
A prodigious saga
"The Prodigious Friend" is a novel that has been talked about. You will find it very easily in
bookstores, dressed with a banner indicating "The book that Daniel Pennac offers to his friends". It is actually the first volume (childhood, adolescence) of a novel saga, inspired by Southern Italy in the 50s. It is the story of a friendship, between two women, Lila, the rebellious brunette, and Elena, the wise and studious girl. Their adventure is that of the transition from childhood to female adolescence. Elena Ferrante, the author, keeps all the mystery of anonymity, we know almost nothing about her, except that she was born in Naples after the war. If it can be difficult to enter the novel, the end of this little masterpiece is simply breathtaking. If like many readers you have been glued by the talent and style of this mysterious Neapolitan author, know that "The New Name", the second part of the adventures of Lila and Elena is already available.
An air by Nina Simone
With "En attendant Bojangles", Olivier Bourdeaut signs his first novel, at the age of 35. In the space of a few months, he was unanimously accepted in the field: he won the Grand Prix RTL/Lire, the Prix roman France Télévisions, Le Roman des étudiants France Culture / Télérama, among others. In this novel, fantasy and richness of spirit reign supreme. Extravagant and light, the result is sparkling and will enchant your summer afternoons. A pen reminiscent of the universe of "L'Écume des jours", Vian, a style close to Prévert or Queneau, with a common thread worthy of Salinger apprenticeship novels.
Foenkinos' talent
David Foenkinos is an author we hear a lot about in recent years. After the success of "La Delicacy" and "Charlotte", we find him again this year with his latest opus "Le mystère Henri Pick". In Brittany, a librarian decides to collect all the books refused by the publishers. Among all the manuscripts accumulated, a young editor discovers what she considers to be a masterpiece, written by a certain Henri Pick. She goes in search of the writer and learns that he died two years before. According to his widow, he never read a book or wrote anything other than shopping lists… Would he have had a secret life? Surrounded by this mystery, Pick's book will become a great success and will have amazing consequences on the literary world. The story of a literary investigation full of suspense, this sparkling comedy also offers proof that a novel can upset the lives of its readers.
For thriller lovers
If you are more of a thriller and have never heard of Camilla Läckberg, we advise you to rush to your bookseller before your departure to discover "The Lion Tamer" !
The tenth book by this Swedish author, translated and published in France by Actes Sud, is one of the biggest successes of this summer 2016. The investigator is dedicated to a widow, tried in the 60s for the murder of her husband who was a tamer in a circus, hence the title. Why then resurface this twenty-seven-year-old murder case? Simply because the criminal hides heavy secrets and could be useful to her current investigation. Two stories that intertwine, that of the past and that of the present, and a lot of sadness and melancholy, specific to Scandinavian literature.
A summer in Corsica
What could be better for holidays than a novel whose plot takes place on this beautiful island that is Corsica? In the summer of 1989, 15-year-old Clothilde spent her holidays near Calvi and it was on her way home from a dinner at her grandfather's house that the fatal road accident that claimed the lives of her parents and brother left her the only survivor.
Twenty-seven long years later, it is accompanied by her husband and daughter that she returns for the first time to the scene of the tragedy. She finds her teenage diary, which helps to make the connection between the different eras of the novel. Because Michel Bussi takes care of his plot, putting forward strong and human characters, with well-marked characters. Singular story, worked characters, surprises brought with intelligence: these are the ingredients that summarize his books and this one in particular.
A little lightness
Finally, if many novels can enchant your summer, this graphic novel proposed by Catherine Meurisse is a must read/discover. The cartoonist of "Charlie Hebdo" and comic book author tells her slow reconstruction after the tragedy of January 7, 2015. After the atrocity of events, a necessity appeared to him: to extricate himself from the chaos and intellectual and aesthetic aridity that followed by seeking their opposite: beauty. Through symbolization, art allows him to mediate between violence and his feelings, gently and without fear. A sweet and poignant itinerary.
Happy reading to all!
