We just celebrated National Book Lovers’ Day on August 9th, but another book holiday is already upon us: National Read a Book Day is September 6th. You probably have very limited free time to read for fun while classes are in session, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start a “to read” list for when you do have time. (Goodreads [link to http://goodreads.com] is a good place to keep track of books you’ve read, are currently reading, and want to read in the future.)
There’s so much out there to choose from, but here are some recommendations based on some of my recent reads. The genres are all over the place — I normally stick to cliché young adult fiction, but sometimes I dabble elsewhere! (Also, some of these are somewhat old, so bear with me.)
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Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen books are always a fun, easy read. This novel, one of her newest, explores the whole “best friend’s brother” scenario along with the struggles of having an older brother who winds up in jail. A good teen romance novel!
2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
If you love dogs, get ready to bawl your eyes out but also laugh. This whole novel is narrated by Enzo, a golden retriever. I wouldn’t imagine there are many novels written from an animal’s point of view, but this one definitely does a great, and what I can imagine to be accurate, job of it.
3. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
Sometimes I read mystery-/thriller-type books, and this is one of them. Kate Baron gets the life-changing phone call that her daughter has committed suicide. She just knows her daughter would never do such a thing, so she takes it upon herself to find out what happened since nobody else will.
4. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
If you’ve read anything else by Gillian Flynn (probably Gone Girl), then you know how crazy her storylines can be. This novel is no different. Read about a young woman who, fresh out of a psych hospital, attempts to uncover what exactly happened to the two preteen girls who were murdered in her hometown. Kind of a dark read, but still very entertaining.
5. The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson
This book was chosen as one of “Book of the Month”’s, well, Books of the Month. This was an impressive novel from a debut author. I read it fairly quickly, and the title certainly describes the plot well. I can assure you, though — the “most dangerous place” is closer than you may think.
If none of these books interest you, Goodreads also has a feature that offers book recommendations based on genres you like. No matter what it is, though, make sure to read something for fun this on this National Day!