So, here we are with less than two months left of school! While we do think it is too early for you to break out your summer wardrobe and replenish your sunblock supply, we at Her Campus St Olaf believe it is not to early to start planning your summer! This includes everything from internships and jobs to how you will get your body bikini and beach-ready! Stay tuned for articles on all of these topics! For now though, we want to discuss another summery one – summer reading!
Have you put any thought into what you will be reading this summer on that beach or under the sun during your breaks from work? Most likely not: you’ve still got that stack of text books you haven’t sold back yet on your dorm-room shelves. And we’re talking books here, hard-cover and paperback – not magazines, although we know you’ll soon be grabbing Vogue, InStyle, or Shape from those beach-stand shelves.Â
We’re also not just talking the “Harry Potter” or “Twilight” series. While it’s always great to just the latest best-seller (and we recommend you do that too!) we want to offer you our all-time 5 favorite (fiction) book suggestions in the hope that you might add them to your summer reading list!
If you’ve ever listened to Mr. Keillor on his National Public Radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, you already have an idea of how hilarious this book proves to be. As always, Keillor does not fail to deliver. A knee-slapping tale – and likely somewhat autobiographical  – of a Lutheran, “Minnesota nice” boy, as an Ole from any state, you will be able to relate. Set in “Lake Wobegon,” a fictional Minnesota town, the plot follows narrator John Tollefson as he heads home to Wobegon from New York, the state he left Minnesota for in pursuit of a career. The heart of the plot occurs in Lake Wobegon, where John is in for a life-changing visit. Overall a very fun, enthralling read. – Lucy
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3. “The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” by Alexander McCall SmithÂ
The first in a 6-book series (all of which you will certainly want to read once you finish this) when you pick this book up you will not be able to put it down! Full of colorful characters, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s first and only woman detective and the heroine of this book, is one of the greatest fictional women you will ever meet. Confident, witty, courageous and a self-proclaimed “traditionally built lady” who eats her cake and enjoys it too, this book follows her first case: the story of a missing child, that leads to other mysteries. This book is so awesome, the BBC even made it into a TV series: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ladies/  ! Before you get hooked on the show however, read the books! They are even better! – Lucy
4. “Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
A truly miraculous story – and the only non-fiction book I am recommending – I finished this in one sitting. This story follows Colton Burpo’s descriptions of heaven and the time he says he spent there, while in surgery for appendicitis when he was four years old, as told by his father. Now, before you pass this summary by and head to recommendation number 5, I believe this book is for you wether you are a Christian or not. An enthralling read, a quick read (perfect for a day at the beach) and one that is guaranteed to get you talking, this is a great book to share with a book club or family and friends, to discuss your conclusions after you read it. For a better description and to read an excerpt from the book (it JUST came out) check out the website: http://heavenisforreal.net/  – Lucy
5. “Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf If you’ve never read Virginia Woolf…no, I won’t even go there. You HAVE GOT to read Virginia Woolf! Her novels “To the Lighthouse” and “Mrs. Dalloway” are probably two of my all-time favorite books ever. “Mrs. Dalloway” has a slight upper hand however because, like the other books I have recommended, once you turn the first page, there is no turning back. Written in the fresh, up-beat stream-of-consciousness style that marks Woolf’s writing, one of the most unique things about this book is that it takes place all in one day. Mrs. Dalloway, a butterfly of high-society London, spends one June day preparing for the party she is throwing that night. As she reminisces about her past and goes about her preparations for the evening, a wonderful story unfolds both about Mrs. Dalloway and all the other characters you’ll meet. Crucially, the novel is also set in post World-War 1 London and one of the most exciting stories that becomes intertwined with Mrs. Dalloway’s is that of Septimus Warren Smith, a WWI Veteran who suffers from shell shock, as well as that of Septimus’ Italian wife, Lucrezia. Trust me, you will love this book! – Lucy
What are YOUR all-time favorite summer reads? Click “Add new comment” and let us know!