As the school year comes to a close, I'm looking forward to being able to read for pleasure. While school is session, I find it nearly impossible to pick up a book that isn't assigned for one of the classes I'm taking. So, for you fellow readers, I've compiled a list of books that you can pick up this summer. I'm also looking for books to read, so feel free to comment your suggestions at the end of this article!

1. "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

This is one of my favorite books. It follows the story of Ed Kennedy, a guy who's down on his luck, but has the chance to become something more than himself. There's a bit of mystery in his story, his journey and his quest. This book is a motivation to me and it's a book I actually want to revisit soon.

2. "The Knife of Never Letting Go" (Chaos Walking, #1) by Patrick Ness

I love the Chaos Walking series and I still have to finish the third and final book. "The Knife of Never Letting Go" takes place in New World, a place that has been war-torn and where men can hear each other's thought. Privacy does not exist, unless you're a woman. Ben finds his counterpart in an outsider when he finally hears silence.

3. "The Storyteller" by Jodi Picoult

My best friend sent me this book in a "Sisterhood of the Traveling Books" package that we started when she graduated and moved back home. I hadn't read any Jodi Picoult, but Katie knows that I love reading about World War II and thought I would appreciate the book. The story is told through several different voices and in different times, all of the characters reeling from the concentration camps during the Holocaust. This book is sure to tear you to pieces.

4. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

I absolutely loved "The Help," and I still need to watch the movie. I love fiction pieces that take place in a different time (and you'll probably notice this pattern as I continue on with this list). The stories of Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny and their story that comes together is beautiful and heart-wrenching and you should read it.

5. "The Diviners" (The Diviners, #1) by Libba Bray

Libba Bray is one of my favorite authors. I first read the Gemma Doyle series by her and fell in love with her prose and imagery. "The Diviners" follows a trend-setting flapper in 1920's New York City who is trying to hide her supernatural secret. Strange things begin to happen and Evie is caught in the middle of it.

6. "Wither" (The Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Not only is Lauren DeStefano an amazing author, but her Twitter presence gets me through the day (@LaurenDeStefano). "Wither" takes place in a dystopian world where because of some crazy things that geneticists do, men live to 25 and women live to 20. Because of this, men have polygamous relationships to try and restore normalcy to the human race. If you don't read the book, definitely follow Lauren on Twitter if you like cats and humor!

7. "The Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Groff

My high school librarian recommended this book to me during my senior year when we started up a book club. The author of the book is from Cooperstown, NY, a town near me, and based her fictional story loosely on the baseball town. The book brings the reader through family histories and crazy events.

8. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

"The Book Thief" is probably my favorite book of all time. Hands down. For sure. Again, it's set in World War II and follows the story of young Liesel Meminger and her friendship with Rudy Steiner and how the war effects them. Not only is the story heartbreaking, but the narrator is not someone you would ever expect to see. Whenever I try to read this book again, I'm already crying by the end of the first page.

9. "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

This book made me cry. It was probably one of the first books that I cried over. Mitch Albom wrote about reconnecting with his college professor living out his last few months and the lessons he taught him that could never be taught in a classroom.

10. "A Great and Terrible Beauty" (Gemma Doyle, #1) by Libba Bray

Libba Bray made the list twice and there's good reason. I already mentioned that I love her prose and imagery, but there is something just so beautiful about this book. Libba Bray created another world that is just so hauntingly gorgeous, but cannot be taken for face value. Just thinking about this book makes me want to read it again.

11. "Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn

For those of you who loved "Gone Girl," buckle up. This book might be crazier than Gillian Flynn's most popular book. A crime that left a family brutally murdered is years old and it begins to resurface in Libby Day's life, one of the survivors. The biggest problem? She was instrumental in putting her brother behind bars for it 25 years earlier.

If you're a book lover like me, go ahead and sign up for Goodreads. It's a site that I used to keep track of the books I read and what I'm currently reading and would love to read some day. I already have my summer reading planned and I cannot wait to begin. Do you have yours?