Great Summer Reads!
1. 1) Because only in the summer does one have time to give 1,500 pages the concentration they deserve.2) Because of Pierre, who believes in possibility, and Prince Andrei, who believes in virtue, and Natasha, who believes in love, and Princess Maria, who believes in redemption.3) Because it is a great love story, AND a thesis on faith, AND a philosophical tract on death, AND an incisive anatomy of how easily patriotism seduces us into abandoning cherished principles.4) Because of Tolstoy’s profound regard for the human heart and soul.
2. Okay, if you’re looking for a light-hearted, easy-breezy beach read, this isn’t it. But itis the perfect book to totally transport you (and your heart) to a different place. After the 1973 fall of the Shah, Amir must flee Afghanistan, leaving his childhood friend Hassan behind. Years later, Amir attempts to reconcile the traumatic moment in which he betrayed Hassan and unwittingly altered both their lives. Over the course of the novel’s many climactic, heart-wrenching twists and turns, we see that there is always hope — and redemption — in the truth.
3. Set in 1987, Tell The Wolves I’m Home is about a girl whose uncle dies from AIDS and how she becomes friends with his lover. It’s a very thought-provoking novel about how times have changed when it comes to the stigma of AIDS and homosexuality. Especially with the changes that are happening now across the world, it’s important that we look back on the progress we’ve made. Happy reading!
4. I read The Solitude of Prime Numbers a couple of moths ago and I can’t get over it. Seriously, it’s a gorgeous book about that too-common plight: Two people fall in love with each other but can’t be together because life. But the writing is so beautiful and you truly can’t put it down until you’ve finished.
5. This was one hell of a ride through Harlem and the life of Precious, a teenager who has been abused by the system and her parents. Over the course of the book she learns to read and write and overcome the trauma of her life to move toward a more hopeful future. I couldn’t put this book down. The way it was written — following Precious’ thoughts and actions in stream of consciousness that mirrored her literacy ability — was just amazing. What a moving, and disturbing, story.
6. This is the story of funny, smart, and incredibly resourceful astronaut Mark Watney who gets stranded on Mars. You will not be able to put this book down, which makes it perfect summer reading to me. The movie comes out in November, which is another reason to pick this up this summer.
7. This is a such a unique narrative about a young boy, Daniel, who finds a book he loves and sets out to track down the author. But he soon finds that someone else is also hunting the same books — in order to destroy them. The Shadow of the Windbecomes an adventure that Daniel could never have dreamed of, introducing him to characters both wonderful and terrifying along the way. This book is splendidly written — and incredibly quotable too!
8. A psychological thriller about a girl named Rachel who witnesses a shocking event which inserts her into the lives of strangers. The book is a real page-turner with lots of twists, amplified by the shifting perspectives of the three main characters. Hard to put down!
9. The Versions Of Us by Laura Barnett is an amazing piece of British literature — all about the ‘what-ifs’ in life and where we might have ended up had we made a single different decision. This book should definitely be on your reading list this summer if you enjoy contemporary romance and books that really make you think!
10. Shades of Grey is set in a dystopian future where social status is dependent on which color you can see. Eddie Russet, a young Red, teams up with Jane Grey to uncover East Carmine’s greatest conspiracy. Fforde fills his work with incredible imagination, humor and heart — I highly recommend it.
11. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, is hands down the book to read this summer. It’s full of enough sex, death, and magical realism to keep readers fully entertained. It has deep literary seed, with a touching story of love and loss and growing up.
