Summer at last

This is not a reference to the season, although this hot, sultry weather could not be anything else but summer. No, it is a reference to the publication last week of the last book in a seasonal quartet by Ali Smith - after Autumn, Winter, Spring, we now have Summer. 

Ali Smith set herself the task of writing one book a year and they have arrived punctually in the appropriate season, starting with Spring in 2016. With such a tight schedule, Ali Smith was able to use current events and issues, almost as they were happening. There are links between the books, although they each stand alone. I have read and loved each one and can't wait to read this one. I do have a quandary - do I get on with it straight away, although I am still making my way through the Booker Longlist, or do I start at the beginning of the quartet and read each one in order - a delightful prospect. I need more hours in the day! 

Ali Smith is my number one current author. I have read and loved virtually everything she has written. I like her writing style, the way she plays with words, her humour, her wit, the way she experiments  and yet is still a superb story-teller. Perhaps most of all I like her humanity, the way she cares deeply about people and the issues of the day. 

On the 28th of this month she is 'appearing' at the Edinburgh Book Festival, which is all digital. She has written an essay related to her books and it has been made into a film. This film will be shown once only, on that evening. I watched one during the Hay Digital festival - fabulous. Worth signing up for, if you haven't done already - it's free. Lots of other stuff too. 

The books are really lovely and each has an appropriate cover, all painted by David Hockney.