This summer, I found the time to read a few great, but very different novels and memoirs. I actually enjoyed all of them and I’m excited to share them!
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
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One of my good friends at Bryn Mawr and a fellow bookworm recommended this novel to me. It was a very real book (in the best way). It had a beautiful and really believable combination of fairy tale romance and sadness. Everyone should read it!
- We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
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It’s kind of hard for me to recommend this book—it’s kind of like medicine in that reading it is worthwhile, but difficult. Most of the novel is slow-going, but the parts that aren’t make up for that, as does Oates’ writing. Content warning for sexual assault.
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
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This is a classic for good reason. Although I feel that the plot is a little less interesting than Pride and Prejudice’s, I think Austen paid a lot more attention to character development in this novel, which was her first published work. I especially liked this novel because the relationship between its two sisters, Elinor and Marianne, reminds me of me and my sister.
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
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I decided to read more memoirs and this was the one I decided to pick up. This is definitely a tear-jerker, but so worth it. I think everyone should read this. Kalanithi has a unique perspective on life, death, and the doctors that help us through it all.
- Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
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I just watched Parks and Rec this summer (I know I’m late to the party, but I’m SO happy I came) and was on an Amy Poehler kick. I obviously loved learning more about Parks and Rec and her relationship with the cast. Even more interesting was reading about her start in comedy and about her time on SNL with some of its most iconic cast members.