Finals are approaching, and that means the approach of something even better: summer! And summer means more free time to do the things you want, including actually reading for fun. Here are a few suggestions of things to read once you’re free from studying and assigned readings.
1. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
This one is for young adult fans and anyone who loved Eleanor and Park and The Fault in Our Stars. It tells the story of death-obsessed Finch and Violet, two teens in Indiana who cross paths and learn how to be themselves around each other. Niven is being hailed as a new voice in YA, so it’s definitely worth the read!
2. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Stay on top of the game by reading the latest Pulitzer Prize winner. It’s a World War II novel that focuses on the lives of a blind woman and a man who loves radios and how their paths cross. According to Doerr’s website, it “illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another”, so it’s certain to be moving.
3. Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel by Meg Cabot
For any one who gobbled these books up in middle school, Mia is back and finally marrying Michael! In the eleventh book in the series, Mia is now out of college and newly engaged. But of course, getting hitched cannot go off without a hitch. Get lost in this new installment about everyone’s real favorite Disney princess.
4. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
This past winter, Harper Lee announced she’d be releasing a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. The book was written before the classic novel and is about grown-up Scout returning to Alabama to visit her father. This may not be required reading like To Kill a Mockingbird was in high school, but you’ll be sure to want to read it anyway.
5. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
If you liked Gone Girl, this is the book for you. Rachel takes the commuter train home everyday. One day, she witnesses a crime from the moving train and gets tangled up with the police and those involved. It’s a book that you won’t be able to put down!
It’s tempting to resort to mind-numbing summer activities to give your brain a break after a long school year. But with these books, you’ll be treating yourself, for sure!