The Books of Summer: The Chronicles of Clovis by Saki

The Chronicles of Clovis by Saki

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I was young I discovered Saki and read all his stories. Over the years, of course, one comes across a few very popular stories repeatedly. Now I’ve come across a wonderful podcast, The Clovis Stories by Saki which is working its way through all the Saki stories, beginning with The Chronicles of Clovis. By the time I discovered it, The Chronicles were completed and they had moved on to Beasts and Super-Beasts. I have been listening to a story a day (or so) from the beginning and vastly enjoying rediscovering the ones I forgot as well as the ones I vaguely remember. The is no one like Saki for blending wicked humor with a tinge of superiority … like P.G. Wodehouse if he’d had a bit more maliciousness sarcasm in his writing.

Short stories are the essence of summer reading to me and when you combine that with the whimsy of Saki and the excellence of this podcast, this is perfect for warm, short days. Of course, you don’t have to listen to the podcast. Just get yourself some Saki in whatever format you prefer and enjoy.