As finals are slowly approaching, I find myself daydreaming about all the fun summer reading I will be doing after they are all over. Of course, I know not all students are as excited as I am about the concept of doing MORE reading, so here are five classic books that are so “summery” that even the most reluctant reader might find themselves turning the pages nonstop.
1. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
Whitman’s poetry in this collection focuses a lot on the celebration of nature and the self. It is positive energy in word form. Reading Whitman feels like taking a stroll through the woods; it’s both contemplative and refreshing.
2. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
“Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.”
In this novel Steinbeck provides a fuzzy, beautiful view of life on the street through vignettes. While many of characters seem quite ordinary, they are told in such intricate detail that you can’t help but fall in love with them. While the book focuses on a lot of hard issues, such as poverty and the meaning of life, it is also filled with humor, making it a fun read too.
3. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”
On the Road is a perfect book for summer road trips! Based on Kerouac’s own adventures traveling as a beatnik in the 1950’s, this novel follows main characters Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty as they travel across America by car. Filled with 50’s jazz culture, reading this book is sure to make you long for adventure.
4. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”
If you are looking for a little non-fiction and a whole lot of philosophical wondering, Pirsig is the author for you! Much like On the Road, Zen follows a journey across America, but this time with a father and son on a motorcycle. Using the bike as a metaphor for life, Pirsig manages to condense large amounts of classic philosophy into an easily digestible and interesting story.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
“Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape…”
I know everyone read this book in 9th grade, but really, that was so long ago, isn’t it worth a reread? To me, this will always be summer. Reading about Scout, Jem, and Dill’s adventures reminds me of my own during my youth. Lazy Alabama Augusts are captured perfectly in the descriptions and dialogue between characters. And the values of Atticus are just as important as every to discuss as they were when Harper Lee wrote him in 1960.