Here is a list of books that you will actually want to read over reading week (while you are avoiding your textbooks):
1. The Girls in the Garden
This mystery novel by Lisa Jewell follows the story of a mother and her two daughters, Pip and Grace, who flee their old lives to seek sanctuary in a picturesque community in urban London. The community shares a large garden where the children roam freely with one another. The mother believes that she has found safety for her children until one night, after a festive neighbourhood party, Pip discovers thirteen-year-old Grace’s body unconcious and bloody in the gorgeous rose garden. From here, the story seeks to discover what happened to Grace that night and who is responsible. I devoured this book in two days, consumed by the dark twists it takes and the questions it asks about trust, safety, and the fragility of innocence.
2. The Summer I Turned Pretty
Jenny Han’s novel is the classic coming-of-age story filled with family drama, a love triangle, and self discovery. Belly, the main character of the novel, lives for the summer. Every year, between June and August, she and her mother spend their time at a beach house with her mother’s best friend Susannah and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. For most of her life, Conrad and Jeremiah have looked at Belly as no more than a little sister type. Everything changes, however, when Belly shows up at the beach house the year she turns sixteen, looking nothing like her old, awkward self. I have read this book several times as it is the perfect blend of drama, humour, and romance played against the backdrop of hazy summer days.
3. Nineteen Minutes
Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors and I consider this book one of her best. The novel tells the story of Peter Houghton, a seventeen-year-old boy who has endured years of bullying and abuse by his high school peers. Pushed to his breaking point, Peter takes a gun to school and commits an act of violence that leaves the whole town irrevocably changed. What I love about Picoult’s writing is that she challenges our perceptions of the world by writing from several character’s perspectives. By the end of the novel, I was left wondering if we ever truly know someone, and if the blame for horrific actions should solely be placed on the one pulling the trigger.
4. Oryx and Crake
No reading list would be complete without adding a Margaret Atwood novel to the mix. As usual, Atwood showcases her extreme brilliance and talent through a truly unique story that explores themes of love, betrayal, survival, and the flaws of humanity. The novel is told through the eyes of Snowman: the last known human struggling to survive in a post-plague world that destroyed all of mankind. Snowman explores his past before the plague, a world where he was called Jimmy. Through Jimmy’s life, Atwood shows readers a dystopic future that will likely occur if humans continue to allow corporations to run the world, abuse the environment, and ignore feelings of empathy. At its core, the message of the novel is truly terrifying because although it is ficitional and absurd, it’s themes are relavent enough to make you question what if?
5. This Lullaby
If you are looking for a lighter read, this book by Sarah Dessen is perfect. After watching her mother go through husbands faster than some people change their hair colours, Remy decides to swear off relationships. More importantly, she promises to herself that she will never date a musician, due to her strained relationship with her one-hit-wonder father. But, when Remy meets Dexter, she finds herself drawn to him and breaking all her rules. This has always been one of my favourite novels because it portrays relationships realistically and it’s an easy, fast paced read. And, of course, you can never go wrong with something written by Dessen.
6. Perfect
Hopkins is famous for her unique, poetic writing style that strays from the conventional. All of her novels deserve praise, but this is one of my personal favourites. The story follows the lives of four teenagers struggling with different problems but all connected by the pressure to be “perfect.” Cara, in the wake of her twin brother’s suicide attempt, tries to be the example child for her parents by getting straight A’s, being a cheerleader, dating a jock, and getting into an ivy league school. Kendra is incredibly beautiful, and is willing to do whatever it takes to stay that way, whether it be drugs, surgeries, or starving herself. Sean, the jock boyfriend obsessed with Cara, is determined to get a baseball scholarship to follow Cara to Stanford; in the process, he begins taking steroids to become bigger and stronger. Andre is the child of a self-made, extremely wealthy family that wants him to follow in their footsteps; However, Andre dreams of becomming a dancer. Overall, this novel touches on the feelings and pressures all of us have faced at some point, which makes it extremely relevant and immersive.
Happy Reading Break, HCUBC Cuties! Hopefully you find the time to enjoy one of these novels.