Every beach vacation isn't complete without a great read. Every summer, I scour book stores to find the best finds, and these are some of my favorites.
1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Even though this movie already came out a few years ago, I can assure you that the book is even more amazing. I just read it for the first time while away at college and I was dripping over every last word (no, seriously, as my roommate). I would stay up until 2am flipping pages to get this one finished. It’s about a wife who goes missing as the police try to pin her disappearance on her husband. The book follows both her and her husband’s account of the story, and let me tell you it’s a true masterpiece. You won’t want to put this one down until it’s done. Even if you have already seen the movie, there are a lot of details that they leave out, so I highly recommend reading the book to answer some of your questions you might have had while watching the film.
2.House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult just happens to always have a great novel out, and this one is no different. House Rules is about a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome, putting him on the autism spectrum. Asperger’s typically places social hurdles on the person so they cannot adequately socialize. It also usually involves the person becoming particularly fascinated with one subject, of which they spend most of their time learning about. In this case, the main character, Jacob’s, object of fascination is forensics. He finds himself getting so involved in a murder investigation that the police start to think that maybe he committed the crime. This book is yet another page-turner, with the mystery lingering until the very end of the novel.
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Glass Castle is a memoir following Jeanette Walls throughout almost her entire life. Walls experiences many hardships throughout her childhood because of her parents, but she ultimately uses those experiences to grow into a successful young woman. This heartbreaking story comes with amazing true characters who never fail to surprise you at every turn. I have read this book twice now and I am still intrigued by the way Walls’ family members conduct themselves. Although this book lacks the mysterious element that the first two books have, it is certainly one that you will want to keep reading and enjoy from cover to cover.
4. Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior by Leonard Mlodinow
This book isn’t a novel or story, but more of a learning experience. Now, don’t let that fact get you down about reading this book. If you have any interest in psychology or the workings of the human brain (my fellow psych majors, I’m talking to you!) then this book is perfect for you. Mlodinow makes learning fun by keeping the book light and easy to read. It explains the fundamentals of psychology while also introducing the ideas you want to actually read about, not just, “Who was the first psychologist?” I am halfway through this book at the moment and I can assure you that it is chock full of interesting and useful nuggets of information. To top it all off, Mlodinow has co-written other books with THE Stephen Hawking. If that isn’t incentive enough to read this book, then I don’t know what is.
