One of my top priorities during the summer, besides going to the beach and spending time with my family and friends, is enjoying as much pleasure reading as I possibly can. This past summer, as I basked in the sun and ate way too much ice cream, I read some great books! Sometimes I find that by just selecting a few meaningful words or a significant quote from a book, you can see the value in the book. Although our schedules are swamped with schoolwork, if you have some free time to slip in a good book here are some of my suggestions. These powerful quotes from the top five books I read this summer are enough to have you running to O’Neill to check them out!
The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene
“There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There’s .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I’m likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.”
Great book if you are looking for a great read that has an amazing story full of wit, loss, love and friendship. Make sure to read this quirky love story before the movie is relased!
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
“It wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t been counting the minutes until I could forgive her. But it’s a lot harder to forgive someone who’s not looking to apologize.”
If you were a fan of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, then you are sure to love the mystery and suspense of finding out the killer of a single mother’s teenage girl.
The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of JK Rowling)
“He had hoped to spot the flickering shadow of a murderer as he turned the file’s pages, but instead it was the ghost of Lula herself who emerged, gazing up at him, as victims of violent crimes sometimes did, through the detritus of their interrupted lives.”
Although I was disappointed by Rowling’s first non-Harry Potter book, she redeemed herself in this detective novel. It is the tale of a former solider in Afghanistan turned PI who is hired to find out how a legendary supermodel fell to her death off of her flat’s balcony.
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Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin
“You take the bad with the good, Rise up through it. Live in the mist of it. It’s the bad that lets you know how good the good really is. Don’t let the bad leave you thinking like there ain’t any good. There is, and lots of it, too. ”
By the end of this story of a rural family with a rich and mysterious history you will come to love, or really hate, the characters and feel as if you have been adopted by the unforgettable Uncle Willie.
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
“They say, find a purpose in your life and live it. But, sometimes, it is only after you have lived that you recognize your life had a purpose, and likely one you never had in mind.”
By the author who brought you A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner, Hosseini brings you another incredible story about the bond between siblings and how you love them and take care of them throughout your entire life, despite the life choices made.
Article Sources:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/16827462-the-fault-in-our-stars
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/21488217-reconstructing-amelia
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/22002305-the-cuckoo-s-calling
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/233844-chasing-fireflies
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16115612-and-the-mountains-echoed?ac=1
Image Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20685797,00.html
http://www.hypable.com/2013/07/13/jk-rowling-ghost-writer-the-cuckoos-calling/
http://www.titletrakk.com/book-reviews/chasing-fireflies-review-martin.htm
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2013/0523/And-the-Mountains-Echoed
Her Campus Image Library