Our school years are pretty busy: filled with classes, assignments, dinners, parties – you name it. Although there’s nothing I love more than a good book, sometimes after doing 80 pages of academic reading the last thing I feel like doing is reading one of my own books for fun.
But summer! *Sigh* Oh, summer. This is the one time I can read non-stop and not feel guilty about it! No assignments to worry about, no classes to catch up on; it seems that every book is waiting to be flipped open and read until the very last sentence is crammed into my head.
Even though I’ll have to slow my ‘hobby reading’ down in the next few weeks to make way for my inevitable classes, I hope my list of top 5 books I read these past four months gives you some inspiration to take a moment to yourself and read on!
- Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
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Wow-what a book! This was definitely one of the best books I read this summer, if not ever! Set in 1930s Japan, this historical fiction follows the story of Chiyo Sakamoto, who at a young age is sold by her father to work in the entertainment districts and is taken into a geisha boarding house. The rest of the book follows Chiyo’s journey of training and becoming a geisha with the question of whether she will succeed in life and love.
It was enthralling to learn about the practices of the geisha, and if you like any historical fiction, this one is right up your alley.
Bonus: There’s a movie from 2005 that was quite accurate to the actual novel!
- Autopsy of a Boring Wife by Marie-Renée Lavoie
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This Canadian-written book demonstrates the emotional, yet simplistic side to divorce. The book follows 48-year-old Diane, who’s going through a divorce after her husband leaves her for the ultimate reason of being boring.
Although not a lot actually happens in the book, Lavoie gives readers an interesting commentary on divorce, with a splash of humour in each chapter. This novel is a secret gem that can offer a quick, fun read for anyone in a reading slump.
Bonus: Lavoie’s sequel, “A Boring Wife Settles the Score,” was just published in July!
- The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
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This exciting thriller had me biting at the chomp to get to the next page, especially during the last 100 pages. Amber Patterson, a mysterious mousy woman, is a meticulous planner (and might I say sociopath) who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Throughout the book, she creatively decides how to manipulate the people around her in order to finally get rich and leave her old life behind.
Filled with juicy secrets, dark turns, and unexpected twists, this book will have you on the edge of your seat.
Bonus: This book was also read by Reese’s Book Club, so I definitely have some backup on this being a good read!
- No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram by Sarah Frier
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While not everyone enjoys non-fiction reads, I’m pretty sure most of you have had an Instagram or Facebook addiction at some point or another. Frier follows the story of Instagram’s founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, and their (for lack of a better statement) deal with the devil. The book cleverly unwraps the secrets of Instagram and the tribulations the company undertook to get to the popularity they have today.
Although the ending was anticlimactic (I suppose that’s been the case in the real world too!) I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Facebook’s power, Twitter’s stubbornness, Snapchat’s defiance, and Instagram’s simplicity.
Bonus: You can say that you read non-fiction books!
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
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I’ll be honest, this book took me a little bit of time to get into. The chapters are very short with a maximum of four pages each. However, once you get to know the characters and get used to Doerr’s writing style, you won’t be able to put it down!
The historical fiction novel follows the story of Marie-Laure, a 16-year-old blind girl living in France during the Second World War, and Werner, a 16-year-old German boy whose gift at fixing radios eventually leads him to meet Marie-Laure.
Although this isn’t a true love story, you’ll definitely enjoy following the paths of these two characters on their treacherous journeys during World War II.
Bonus: You can easily imagine yourself on the streets of Paris (at least before the war begins)!
It was so hard to pick my top five for the summer, but all in all, I think these were some of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Hopefully, they’ll get you on the path to bingeing more books during the school year!