Congratulations to all those who have struggled and persevered through finals! Another school year is over and we can face the abysmal heat we humans call summer together. Now that I have all of eternity to spend making my way through all those books I put off until now, I’m not in the mood to crack any spines or dog-ear anything. I might be burnt out. My laziness may have reached astronomical proportions. Either way, I’m in a reading rut. In order to spare anyone else the horror, here are a list of recommendations to get you started on your summer reading and who knows, maybe this will help me crawl out of my own rut. Books are weird and magical like that.

1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

“The summer sun was not meant for boys like me. Boys like me belonged to the rain.”

Oh, my word. This absolutely lovely book, set during 1987 in Texas, follows the life of a teenager, Aristotle, who meets fellow teenage boy, Dante. What subsequently follows their meeting is an endearing, heart-warming and poetic tale of growing pains, family, love and everything in between. It’s such a soft yet powerful book. You’ll cry so many happy tears while clutching it to your chest when you’re done—yes that is what I did.

2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

“Plague closed the theaters again and again, death flickering over the landscape. And now in a twilight once more lit by candles, the age of electricity having come and gone, Titania turns to face her fairy king.”

Civilization has fallen victim to a terribly contagious virus and we follow a traveling company that makes it way through the post-apocalyptic world, performing Shakespeare to anyone and everyone who will listen and watch. Told through multiple point of views and spanning various timelines that eventually all fit together, Station Eleven is a haunting tale about the darkest of days and yet, it does not fail to speak of humanity’s goodness and grace.

3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“There are no bargains between lion and men. I will kill you and eat you raw.”

A re-telling of Homer’s The Iliad, The Song of Achilles will leave you breathless and oh my goodness, it’ll make you cry. Seriously, have a box of tissues at hand. It’s been two years and I still get heart pangs thinking about it. Miller gorgeously weaves her own original prose and interpretations of the characters while remaining true to Homer’s Classic. Pro-tip: listen to this playlist while reading the last 50 pages or so; you’ll thank and hate me for it.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away.”

If you haven’t read this book yet, stop, drop and roll to your nearest bookstore. Anyways, it’s set in Nazi Germany and the narrator is Death. Yes. That Death. “He” contemplates his place in the universe and humanity—which is so eerie and poignant given the time period—while focusing on a young girl named Liesel who finds solace and friendship in banned literature, her foster family, the boy next door and a fugitive. It’s artfully crafted. It’ll leave you feeling fragile. You’ll be hooked from the first word and onwards and you’ll think of it long after you’ve read the book’s last.

5. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

“And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human. So she was turned to a pillar of salt. So it goes.”

I first read Vonnegut when I was a freshman in high school and he forever changed the way I read and study literature. This book is hard for me to explain, which I think is apt for Vonnegut since a lot of his works share a similar inexplicable nature. Nevertheless, this is one of his more renowned works and rightfully so, it drips with satire, dark humor and intelligence. You’re in for a treat. And a minor philosophical crisis. I’m just joking, it’s probably a major one.

6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

“A moi. L’histoire d’une de mes folies.”

I’m not going to lie to you. This book is a chore and I have a severe love-hate relationship with it. Also, I may or may not own multiple copies. It’s about a group of elite college students that are described as “eccentric misfits” (but let’s be honest, that’s just a nice way of saying “pretentious as hell”) and plot-wise, it meets somewhere between a modern Greek tragedy and “How to Get Away with Murder.” My problems with it primarily rest with the narrator and particular moments in the novel; I’m recommending it because Donna Tartt is such an enthralling writer. Her words hollow you out and everything is terrible and awful yet enchanting. The book is dense though—physically and emotionally. Take your time with it.

7. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

ALL YOU CAN HOPE FOR IS THE MERCY OF HELL.
“Yeah?”
JUST OUR LITTLE JOKE.
“Ngk,” said Crowley.

End of the world shenanigans! The Earth’s a Libra! Hysterical footnotes! Please read and stuff your thoughts in a miniature, glass bottle and drop them off to your local hellhound!

8. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

“Kiss me, hardy! Kiss me, quick!”

A partially epistolary novel set during World War II, this is a tale of espionage and fierce friendship. Two best friends, who are spies for the British, crash-land in France and are separated when one of them is taken by the Nazis. You won’t know what’s actually happening until you’re knee-deep in the novel and completely stressed out. There’s a lot of internal screaming involved.

9. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

“SELF-PORTRAIT: The Boy Hiding Inside the Boy Hiding Inside the Boy”

This book is so magical, strange and tragic all at once. Noah and Jude, who are twins, are in charge of telling their own side of the story and piecing together their narrative and we follow how they went from being inseparable to complete strangers to reconciliation. It’ll tug at your heartstrings and it invokes the same sense of frustration when you wake up from a soft yet sad dream, but there’s contentment anyways.

10. More Than This by Patrick Ness

“He’s uncertain what’s going to happen next. But he is certain that that’s actually the point. If this is all a story, then that’s what the story means. If it isn’t a story, then the exact same is true.”

A small summary: Seth drowns, but wakes. I cannot summarize this book more in-depth without completely giving it away so, I’ll leave it at that. This is also a PSA to read all of Patrick Ness’s works; every single one of them is gorgeous and riveting.