Summer in English Literature has appeared in many guises and inspired a multitude of authors in myriad ways, from P.G. Wodehouse's description of a genteel countryside slumbering during a summer afternoon, the promise of a new life and the bounty of the British season in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, to the lethargy of an American town in the deep South in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. In this return to our 'writing the seasons' feature Mariella Frostrup discusses how summer has been reflected in literature with novelists Horatio Clare and Justin Cartwright.

Novelist Rilla Askew has imagined the everyday impact on small communities and individuals of big events from the Tulsa Race Riots in her American Book Award winning Fire in Beulah to the disaster of the Dustbowl migrations through the eyes of a love-struck young couple in Harpsong. The common denominator in much of Rilla's writing, alongside those themes, is her home state of Oklahoma, the setting for so many tipping points in American history. She explains why she chose the controversial immigration laws of 2007 as the topic of her latest book Kind of Kin.

Two times Booker shortlisted novelist David Mitchell, author of the likes of Cloud Atlas and Numbers9Dream is the next author to share with us the book he would never lend. David has turned to early 20th century America for his treasured tome - The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder.

Producer: Andrea Kidd. Show less