If you're living in the UK at the moment you may have noticed things are a little... warm. And by warm, I'm talking, 'oh my, have I woken up in some beautiful European summer villa, about to meet my dream fictional love interest as I descend the gorgeous (and deliciously cool) marble staircase?' kind of warmth. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for reality to kick in; the winter duvet has stuck itself to me like a partially microwaved tortilla, the heat emanating from the window in my bedroom has turned the air swamp-like, and my hair has doubled in size like it's recreating a Tiktok sourdough recipe.

So really, warm is an understatement, but I can't use the actual words I'd usually use to describe this kind of heat, so warm will suffice.

However, despite all my grumbling, this weather is perfect for the bookworms. Whether you're reading in the shade or sun, this warm weather is exactly what us book lovers need to draw us out of our stereotypical 'cosy reading' vibes and grant us that much needed vitamin D and fresh air. So now we're all settled in our favourite sun trap, paperback (or Kindle, because hauling a hardback out in this weather is the kind of act committed by someone who doesn't know how to go easy on themselves) in hand, let's go through this little list of things all readers experience during a heatwave.

1. Repacking the tote bag

Now that you can actually step outside without the threat of torrential downpours, it's time to reevaluate what you've got in your book bag (I used tote bag in the subtitle, but any bag that you haul your current read around in works just fine here). Out goes the brolly, and in with the sunnies and SPF.

2. Avoiding SPF on your book

Now some of us aren't too fussed by a little wear and tear on our books, and that is totally valid. However, describe to me a worse sensation than the tacky touch of recently sun blocked fingertips on a paperback. I'll wait... It therefore stands to reason that even the worst offenders of book mistreatment should go out of their way to avoid ruining their reading experience with this textural terror.

3. Forgetting your sunglasses on a reading trip

If you're a kindle user, this perhaps doesn't apply to you. Unfortunately for the rest of us, third degree burns to our retinas can be an issue, should you forget to pack those all-important sun glasses in your bag before you read outside. If someone can tell me why my eyes must burn so much after staring at the pages of my book, maybe we could find a way to harness such power against our bookish enemies?

4. Mastering the iced caffeinated drink of the summer

A reader and their drink are as natural as fish and chips. Cakes and candles. Name your pairing - a reader without their support drink is simply unheard of. And in this enduring heat, our usual cutesy mugs filled with sickly amount of caffeine and syrups just won't do. Come a heatwave, out come the big shots. I'm talking iced EVERYTHING. Latte. Tea. Matcha. Chai. There's nothing a booklover cannot achieve with a little bit of ice and five minutes on Pinterest.

5. Walking into bookshops to 'avoid the heat' joins the arsenal of 'ways to enter a bookshop'

Please don't even pretend like you're surprised to see this here. Oh, would you look at that? Your favourite indie bookshop is only two minutes away as you scroll through this blog and, gosh, isn't it warm? Best head inside since, you know, you forgot that hat from Point 1 and all (this may or may not have something to do with the fact I'm writing this with my local bookshop staring at me from across the street).

6. Romanticising the outdoor reading experience

Ah, the brilliant blue of the July sky; the pleasant laughter of people joining their friends in the park to kick a (randomly sourced) football around, how else could you want to spend your Friday after work? You've been stuck inside all day watching everyone else frolic, and as a reader we are prone to a daydream or two, so now we have conjured up the perfect summertime readers evening in our head. How else are we supposed to make it through the day?

7. Regretting Number 6

The park is rammed. That group playing with the football? They're now using their seltzers and beers as makeshift waterguns. You try your local for a quiet spot in their beer garden. Wrong move - everyone and their awkward summer situationship has also turned up. Now your book has been regretfully cast aside as you listen to your mates explain why Hollie and Noah are technically dating despite the fact Hollie had explicitly said she was having a Hot Girl Summer.

8. Using your book as a fan/sun blocker

Sometimes we have to use whatever our poor hands can get a hold of in order to spare ourselves from cooking in this especially dire heatwave. A good floppy paperback here is exactly what you need to ensure your sweat remains at a pleasant, glowy finish, instead of becoming a remake of Olaf in that scene from Frozen where he realises that summer really wasn't made for snowmen.

9. Being asked for beach read recs

Maybe I'm projecting a little bit here, but I fear as a known booklover among my friends and family, I am often the first port of call for anyone who is about to enter WHSmith at the airport. Which is flattering, don't get me wrong, I wear my book knowledge with the kind of pride I've only seen when contestants receive Star Baker from Paul Hollywood. But am I the best 'beach read' recommender? My personal reading taste is usually 500+ pages with themes that will leave you crying in a corner... I don't think my sixteen-year-old second cousin needs that for her family trip to the Canaries.

10. Shamelessly waiting for autumn to come back

Okay, call me grumpy. Tell me I'll regret it later. I probably will. But I'd be lying - and so would many a bookworm - if I didn't admit to you that I have already planned my autumn tbr, alongside what candles I'd like to have burning as I sit in my autumn-themed bedding and read a cosy fantasy, HOT caffeinated drink in my vicinity. A girl can dream, right?

And that just about wraps up my list of things us booklovers experience in the summer! If you find yourself doing any of these, please tag us on IG (@chapter25bookclub) - it will make my day to see you out there in the wide world.