The spring semester is quickly coming to a close, and all I have been thinking about is how many books I am going to read during summer break. If you are looking for some good books to read this summer, here are a few that I absolutely loved.
Beach Read
The ultimate summer romance, “Beach Read” by Emily Henry truly embodies those warm summer days. “Beach Read” is a story about two writers, one who writes happy romance novels and one who writes dark literary fiction. When the pair get writer’s block during the summer, they decide to switch roles and try to write novels in the other’s usual genre. I’ve read all of Emily Henry’s books, and though I’ve loved them all, “Beach Read” has definitely been my favorite.
Kafka on the shore
“Kafka on the Shore” by Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite books of all time. It is difficult for me to really explain what this novel is about–anything I could say about it would not live up to the actual experience of reading this book. This book deals a lot with the metaphysical world and magical realism. The novel features two main characters, one being a boy who runs away from home and renames himself Kafka, and the other is a lonely old man named Nakata who is able to talk to cats. These two people find themselves drawn towards one another throughout the novel as many strange things begin to happen. Though this book is incredibly bizarre, it is one of my favorites and definitely an interesting read.
A darker shade of magic
If you’re looking for a new fantasy series to try, I’d definitely recommend “A Darker Shade of Magic” by V.E. Schwab. This trilogy is about worlds with parallel cities of London and a magician who is able to travel between these worlds. When this magician comes crosses paths with a thief from London without magic, a dangerous type of magic is set loose that has the potential to destroy their worlds.
It’s recently been announced that V.E. Schwab will be releasing a second series that will be in the same world as the “A Darker Shade of Magic” trilogy, which I am extremely excited about.
Eileen
Ottessa Moshfegh is the queen of writing novels with absolutely deplorable main characters, and Eileen is absolutely no exception. Nevertheless, I adored this book. Eileen Dunlop is a young woman with a job working as a secretary at a correctional facility. When a new woman, Rebecca, is hired to work there, Eileen finds herself drawn to Rebecca’s charismatic personality and the two begin to become friends. After some time, Rebecca shows her true colors and then starts to lead Eileen down a dark path.
“Eileen” is also currently being adapted into a film, which is expected to be released this fall.
Someone who will love you in all your damaged glory
“Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory” is a short story collection written by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of the hit Netflix series Bojack Horseman. Personally, I am a huge fan of TV show Bojack Horseman, so it was no surprise to me that I enjoyed this collection. In many of these short stories, the writer used things and situations that are seen as normal in our society and transformed them into complete absurdity. This made the stories so much more intriguing and also made the impact of them hit even harder. If you’re looking for something interesting to break up your usual genre of reading, I’d definitely recommend this collection.
Happy summer and happy reading!