Best summer reads - win £400 of brilliant books

My best summer was 1975,the year i got married.

my best summer was last year as both my son and my daughter were married (not to each other lol ). So we had two lovely family weddings x

I always look forward to the summer hoping it will be even better than the last one. I grow a lot of fruit, flowers and veg on an allotment and never know what is going thrive or fail. I enjoy finding lots of new recipes too to use up all the goodies and sharing with family and neighbours

Last summer, my husband and I went to an eco-resort in Mexico. The place was teaming with wildlife and we had the most amazing time. And it was all free - my husband's company paid for it, as a reward for his hard work. A holiday is great, a free holiday is even better.

How can I choose? Caravan holidays when I was a child, spending all summer at Camber Sands - vast stretches of empty sand that my sister and I used to comb for loose change, Tizer bottles (3d back on the empties) and other treasures. Later camping in the South of France, swimming in the Mediterranean, a bit warmer than the Channel. Then holidays with my children, now holidays with my grandchildren, every summer something else to look forward to.

My best summer was in 1995 - we got married in August (on a lovely sunny day) followed by a honeymoon in Austria.

My best summer was spent camping on the south-west coast of France. Our daughter (now 37 years old with her own children) has never forgotten how daddy made up bed time stories about 'Brownie' her pet rabbit who had travelled all the way through France from home, on his own, to be with her on holiday. She loved the adventures he had on the way!

The summer of 1967 when I finished teacher training in Hereford and had 2 months before starting a new job in London. It was the most carefree time ever.

I loved the summers when my children were small and we played in the paddling pool in the garden, ate ice-creams and then watched a film. Happy days!

last summer at school, exams finished, boyfriend (now husband) not working. Used to walk in front door of school, sign in and walk out back gate then we went out for the day. Seemed to be sunny every day. Bought a picnic and walked in the hills. Days of doing nothing. Don't seemed to have had such leisure since. Stolen days are always better than planned holidays.

I find all summers hold special memories, from the time I was young and carefree, to the times when my children were growing up, and now with my grandchildren. They have all been special and I would find it hard to choose a favourite.

Summer of 1989 - set of on a road trip around Ireland with new man I had only known for about a month. An amazing couple of weeks in a tiny tent (and then lovely B&B 's when the air mattresses gave up the ghost), seeing so many beautiful places by day and enjoying Guinness and folk music each evening. Oh, and I didn't mention, he proposed on second day of the trip, we had a quick, simple wedding a few months later and we are still happily married 28 years on!

Probably the summer we got married in 1973. I'd had a bad car accident in the March and didn't know if I'd be able to walk down the aisle. I also had facial injuries. By the time June came round I was up and about and looked fine in my wedding dress. The best bit was our honeymoon in sunny Torquay. We had a marvelous time and I was able to put the accident behind me.

One of my favourite summer's, years ago, was with a group of friends as we headed off for a holiday in Corfu. We had only booked flights and not accommodation being absolutely sure we would get accommodation while there as we wanted to travel around the Island.
What an adventure we had staying initially in a Greek family home in Corfu. We then stayed a couple of nights in each area of the Island then crossed by boat to Antipaxos and managed to get a week's stay in a lovely cottage as the Greek owner was working on the mainland.
It was real fun and very hot. I would not have the courage to do that again without booking accommodation first.
Are we wiser with age or do we just lose our sense of fun and adventure?

Backpacking round Greece during May in the 80s - young and impressionable. Left me with a legacy of memories - heaven

The Summer of 69 , of course ..

"Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
...

Back in the summer of 69 ......."

So many good summers it's hard to be difinitive ... but I think I'd have to say the summer I spent with friends on a Greek Island for 2 weeks and it was heavenly. It was seriously hot and I got seriously burnt - despite all the lotions and potions!! That's red hair for you. (Although I'm glad now as it's still only just showing signs of silver)!

We spent lazy days on the beach - reading trashy novels, playing in the water and generally feeling fabulous, interspersed with days exploring the islands on the back of mopeds driven by Greek adoni!!

Youth was a wonderful thing ... freedom, the first flushes of love and the whole world to explore!

As an Accommodation Manager of a large University I never had a summer. It was always full belt i.e. preparation for the intake, exam results, finding 3000+ students housing with only 1200 University units available.

My best summer was the year I took voluntary redundancy. We had just bought a dilapidated house in France and spent six weeks doing basic maintenance projects. The weather was fantastic, we made friends easily and enjoyed many late nights socialising. It was sad to come home and having to find a replacement job for the one I had just given up. But certainly my very best summer although can't say my husband felt the same.

My best summer was when the children were very young - 3 and a half and 4 months old. We stayed on a farm accessed by a level crossing. The farmer took our daughter all round the farm and his wife insisted they babysat and we went out to the nearest cinema. Lindsey loved feeding the hens and even tramping over the hills sorting out the sheep.

I lived out of a van for a couple of months back in the 90's a group of us toured and camped out at most of Devon and Cornwall beaches, we spent our days surfing and beachcombing, generally carefree and forgetting the mind numbing daily grind for awhile which was seriously needed. I'll always be thankful for all the people I knew and met at that time in my life, I often think of them, I'll never forget the joyful spirit we all shared, it has to be my best summer.

My favourite summer memory is really a whole lot of memories rolled into one. Every summer we load up the car with camping gear, children, dog/s (and for a couple of years a cat too) and head to West Wales to the same beautiful campsite for our summer holiday. It doesn't matter if it is hot or cold, wet or dry we have a lovely week with no phones or interruptions just our family. It is now quite a large family holiday when as many of us get together as can. Brilliant.
If I had to choose one moment it would be the mid 80's driving through the mountains in pouring rain all singing our heads off to 'Come on Eileen' and waving our arms in the air

Any summer when my children were small. We spent endless days in the local park or at the beach playing hide and seek or rounders. I always made a picnic using whatever sandwich fillings I had in the fridge and we had crisps and frizzy pop.

A good summer read for me is a big fat novel. In theory, when on holiday I'll have more time to read so I can get into something that little bit fatter. One summer I attempted A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. I didn't think it would be possible to read 1349 pages over a two week holiday. I infact devoured it! A joy to read. A real page turnover with characters that come to life and absorb you into theirs. Don't be scared by the number of pages - I urge you all to read it!

My best Summer was a horse! That was her name. I'd saved up for years, she was beautiful and exactly the colour of barley growing in the fields.

Have just returned from having my best summer. We went to Israel for my daughters wedding. It was magic! 9months of prep all fell into place. What an experience-to see the daughter who was quite a difficult baby and a sometimes challenging teenager who has developed into this beautiful mature sensitive bride -who could ask for more!