Each summer, I know the holidays are coming to an end when I complete a row of Woman Alive’s book bingo. This year, this is the eclectic selection I ended up with:

A book that has been translated into English: Before the Coffee gets Cold, Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A book published around the time your parents were born: On the Road, Jack Kerouac

A book that includes beautiful illustrations or photographs: Blue Wonder, Frauke Bagusche

A book that will encourage you to action: The Homeward Call, Jeff Pratt

A book by an author with the same first name as you: The Outrun, Amy Liptrot

This was a varied reading list, and yet there were several themes that ran through all of the books, expressed in different ways, from different perspectives.

I had read a bit of background about Jack Kerouac and his classic, so I knew a little about what to expect from On the Road. I had read that, at its release, it was considered to be “generation defining”. It is true that it gives a sensory, lasting impression of a time of changing ideas and ways of life in America. There is a significant theme of disillusionment with the American dream. There’s abandonment of traditional values, and a sense of wanting to see and experience everything. There’s a whole lot of confusion and sadness, too. The narrator, Sal, fully embraces the chaotic life of his friend, Dean Moriarty, at the same time expressing a kind of detached self-awareness. It was interesting to read, but it felt sad, because the characters often skirted so close to the truth of what might make their lives wonderful and meaningful, then veered wildly away from those same things. Another comment that I had read about Kerouac’s writing was about the quality of his descriptions, and it is true that the book paints a vivid, present picture of life on the road, of drinking and drug taking, of jazz and of a range of intense but unstable friendships. However, I found that the book lacked a consciseness and precision. It rambled – and whilst this could be attributed to the style Kerouac was trying to develop, it felt just a touch too repetitive, even indulgent.

Another writer with a great skill for description is Amy Liptrot. Her prose is powerful. Like Kerouac, she describes the experiences of being drunk and high vividly, but her writing is beautifully precise. Her words are well considered, but also have real heart. In The Outrun, Liptrot recounts her descent into addiction and the work she did to get sober. Liptrot travelled between London and her home in Orkney. Her descriptions of both places and their impact on her are captivating. Liptrot expresses everything so eloquently: her sadness; her strength; her growing love of nature and wild places; her impulses; all her passion; memory; insight and uncertainty. I was blown away by her writing and swept up by the Orkney islands. I was immersed in the weather, the walks, the wild swimming – all of it. Her story is so worth telling, and so well told. This was one of my favourite reads this year.

Jeff Pratt’s book, The Homeward Call, is completely different in style and perspective. In some ways, I felt that this book answered some of the questions raised in On the Road and The Outrun. Jeff Pratt, like Kerouac and Liptrot, lives an adventurous life, often travelling. In The Homeward Call, he tells some of the story of his life from his Mormon upbringing, to his travels as a Christian missionary. There is a sense of discipline about Pratt’s life, but his stories are anything but boring. The whole book radiates with joy and a great fullness of experience. Pratt explains how he became more and more aware of God’s love for him, and of a call on his life to live with love for God and love for other people. His faith has taken him around the world into all kinds of circumstances: a village in Fuji where he shared his faith and attempted cliff jumping and spear fishing; a remote Alaskan seafood processing ship, where he shared a cabin with ex-convicts and had a miraculous near death experience; a community house in New Haven, near Yale university, where he adopted his two boys; and many other places and communities. This book had a significant impact on me. It reignited my enthusiasm and passion for my faith and got me past some of my recent hangups with Christianity. It reminded me of God’s love and joy and encouraged me to seek these out and share them. If you read any of the books on this list, make it this one.

The Blue Wonder is another book whose author lives a passionate and adventurous life. Frauke Bagusche is a marine biologist and diver. This is a scientific book brimming with facts about the oceans and compelling us to do better at looking after them. I was fascinated by the variety of creatures detailed and every day would read out random facts to my long-suffering family. From deep-sea volcanoes, to glowing plankton, to huge squid and blue whales, every page caught my interest and curiosity. This book certainly does what it says on the tin and evokes the wonder of the oceans.

Before the Coffee gets Cold is a novel written by script writer Toshikazu Kawaguchi, and it has elements of a play about it. Unlike the other books in this list, we rarely leave one location, much like the set of a play. We remain in the strange coffee shop. Within its walls, from one chair only, it is possible to travel through time – but only to interactions that have taken place in the cafe. I liked this book. I had to get used to its style, which is almost minimalistic. I liked that not everything had to be explained, but there was still a strong sense of resolution. The characters were kind, willful and determined. They got things wrong and experienced loss and figured things out. They helped each other, and I liked that.

What have you been reading this summer?