Spring break is nearly upon us, and so it’s time temporarily to put away our academic reading and immerse ourselves in some good, guilty reads. Reading books for pleasure during a vacation is a great antidote to the monotony of your class readings. If you’re in need of a little inspiration for your spring break reading list, check out my go-to vacation authors for a literary (if not actual) trip away from stressful class reading!
1. Suzanne Brockmann, Troubleshooters Series
Brockmann’s Troubleshooters Series, one of my favorite book series, follows a cast of seemingly real-life characters through their action and romance packed adventures as clandestine security operatives. If you’re looking for a place to start in the series, try Gone Too Far (2003) or Flashpoint (2004).
In Gone Too Far, you will meet Sam, a reformed Navy SEAL cowboy from Texas, and Alyssa, a talented and driven FBI agent on their cross-country trek to prove Sam’s innocence in a murder. In Flashpoint, you will meet a new group of characters in the Troubleshooters series who take you halfway across the world and back to fight international crime. Because Brockmann’s characters appear in almost every book in the series, you get to know the characters on a deeper level. Brockmann is, in my opinion, one of the best writers in the action/romance genre, and if you start reading her books now, I predict that you will be more than looking forward to continuing the series over summer vacation.
2. Julie Garwood
Julie Garwood’s adventure and romance series, much like Suzanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooters, chronicles the suspenseful adventures and romances of FBI agents, reporters, hotel heiresses, computer company entrepreneurs, and many more. Many of Garwood’s story lines revolve around members of a few different families, from the Buchanans in Boston to the Hamiltons in Chicago, so you come to love these families as your own.
To start the series, I recommend either Shadow Dance (2006), which features the Buchanans, Fire and Ice (2008), which features a bit of the Hamiltons, or Hotshot (2013) which is Garwood’s most recent release and introduces us to a whole new cast of characters in sunny, beachy Florida – perfect for spring break!
3. Julie James
James is a master of contemporary suspense and romance and her books are perfect beach reads. James’s female characters are always spunky and independent with high-powered careers, and her novels send an empowering message to her readers. Her cast of characters resides in Chicago and work either in the FBI or as attorneys. Some of James’s books mention the same characters, so to start the series, I recommend one of my favorites, Something About You (2010).
4. Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts (plus the other four sequels)
If you missed out on reading the Sloppy Firsts (2001) series that centers around the hilarious, slightly tragic, and always relatable Jessica Darling while you were in high school, I highly suggest reading this gem (and its four sequels, just so you can end the series feeling satisfied).
Jessica Darling starts out the series as a high school student, extremely intelligent, an athlete, and struggling with all the ways in which high school can make us lose bits of our humanity. Jessica is from New Jersey, and she hilariously describes Jersey teen culture before MTV ever brought Jersey Shore into our living rooms. Jessica’s adventures recall our own high school adventures (or at least, our own fantastical memories of our high school adventures): having the world’s biggest crush on a gay man before he came out of the closet, falling in love with the school’s resident genius bad-boy (look out for the character of Marcus Flutie, Collegiettes!), growing apart from our siblings and parents, and floating between friend groups. The sequels to Sloppy Firsts show Jessica going through college, being an under-employed post grad, and (maybe!) settling down. A must read.
5. Danielle Ganek, Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him and The Summer We Read Gatsby
From very recent author Danielle Ganek, I recommend two books. The first, Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him (2008) should be read by any Collegiette who, in aspiring to become an artist (or just aspiring to her dreams of any kind) has questioned her own ability to “make it” professionally. The narrator is Mia McMurray, an art gallery receptionist in New York and a cliché aspiring artist. The reader is swept through the ridiculously wealthy world of contemporary art buyers in New York, leaving you with a new perspective on the art industry, fame, and why we defer our own dreams.
Ganek’s second book, The Summer We Read Gatsby (2011), transports us to the ultra-posh world of the present day Hamptons where two very different half sisters take care of their late aunt’s beach house and reflect on their childhood summers spent together. The book is a vacation in and of itself with lots of juicy allusions to the glitz and glamour of the 1920s Hamptons of Fitzgerald’s classic novel.
Happy reading, Collegiettes!