Enjoy some of these out of the ordinary stories with these recommendations

Giving the good ole book pages a turn instead of clicking through the Internet.

Whether you’re abroad, interning, or spending your summer otherwise, I find these short, precious weeks to be the best time to catch up on reading. Which may sound bizarre given that I am, in fact, an English major.  However, as a book hoarder and avid reader I can never get enough.  And even if you’re not the most enthusiastic reader there is something to be said about the gentle escape that comes between two covers and within a few hundred pages.                

It is often difficult to decide what to read; how am I to choose from the millions of books at my disposal? Never fear, dear readers for what I bring to you today is a simple yet solid (based solely on my biased judgment) list for your summer reads.  Plus, this will help if you’re already over all undeserving hype towards            

If you’re still reading after that last comment (let’s face it TFIOS wasn’t that spectacular), thank you and here’s where I would begin. For something charming, easy to read, yet also sentimental I recommend

The Secret Life of Bees

by Sue Monk Kidd. Both tell the stories of sisters, love, and what it means to be a family. They are also beautifully written and would be fitting for any book clubs.               

Not into ‘soft’ books? That’s okay, because the thrillers are next. I’m sure you’ve either heard of, or at least watched the movies, but as always these books are so much better than their corresponding films. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larson is one of my favorites. It will scare, intrigue, and shock you.  In addition, you will be unable to put aside

The DaVinci Code

by Dan Brown.  It hardly matters that its historical references are not entirely accurate because of the fast paced, mind-boggling mystery Brown leads you on.                     

Finally, here are two of my personal favorites.  I just finished...

The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.  It is one of the most intelligent, daring, and thought provoking books I have ever read. Kingsolver is an absolute genius and if I could write half as well as she does I’d never stop writing. Luckily, I can at least fawn over her work.  And last, but certainly not least,

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini.  Heart wrenching and courageous, this book has it all. I can hardly do it justice in this article, but if there is one book you have to read it is this.  It is truly awe-inspiring and possibly life changing.  In addition, I would also recommend some tissues to go along with it.               

If nothing else, I hoped to give some of my favorite books the praise they deserve within formal writing, but if this list has helped anyone find their next escape or adventure then this has been well worth it.