There is only one book on this planet that captures that lazy, magical feeling of summer in your childhood. If you want to experience hardcore nostalgia, pick up Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine.

Seriously, there isn’t anything on earth that feels this much like summer to me. Not even the ice cream truck or LFO’s “Summer Girls” makes me feel quite like this.

Bradbury’s book transports me back to the time of fireflies and chlorinated water dripping from my pigtails. I can think of very few things that are cooler than that.

Sure, I could give you a list of writing-related reasons to read this book. The prose is absolutely stunning. If you want to learn how to combine short stories into an overarching narrative, this book is the place to go. There are few better coming-of-age books.

But aren’t there more important reasons to read a book? Like feeling like a kid again for a few short hours?

Go ahead and pick up this book; go back to a time where your biggest problem was wondering when they were going to blow the whistle for adult swim.

Do you have a favorite summer book? Let me know in the comments below.