As an English major, I tend to read a lot. When I was in high school, I used to read 100 books a summer. It started out as a challenge, but afterwards it became something that I would look forward to. This summer, I decided I wanted to try it again, but since I was working, I was going to aim for fifty books. Instead, I only read thirty-three. If any of you are looking for good book recommendations, here are a few of my favorites from the summer.
1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
This was probably my favorite book from the summer. I could go on forever about this book, but I’ll keep it short. I had heard of the movie from 2012, but I didn’t know there was a book until a friend let me borrow his copy. The book was so intelligently written. I don’t want to spoil it, but the ending opened up a door of never-ending metaphors. It’s the kind of book you can read multiple times and get something different out of it each time.
2. Sad Girls by Lang Leav
Lang Leav is one of my favorite poets, and she decided to write a novel after writing four poetry books. It was released May of this year, and it only took me two days to finish reading it. It was a love story with secrets and mysteries buried in it, but there was something beautiful about the language and style Leav wrote in. It was a poetic novel, and after I finished it, I just sat there thinking about the book all night.
3. Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Bluets was a different kind of style of book. In my opinion, it was a hybrid between poems and an essay. The author uses the color blue as an anchor to narrate her life and also uses blue as a metaphor for various things. It is like a breath of fresh air that causes you to think about life.
4. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
This book has been on my list to read for a while now, and I finally got around to it. Many people don’t care for it, but I found myself unable to put it down for some reason I still can’t explain.Maybe it was the relatability of the reader to the main character that made it difficult to put down. Perhaps it’s because of the metaphors and themes that make it a good read.
5. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
This fiction book was about a mixed American/Chinese family. It explored the dynamics of the family interacting in their home and out in public and showcased the discrimination that they faced. The book also expertly flipped through different point of views from each member in the family, so it seemed like the reader received the entire story. This was another book I finished in only a few days.
These are only a few of the books I read this summer, but these were the ones that I’ll remember the most. I’m definitely planning on reading them again at some point.
HC,
Alyssa Harmon
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