For me, summer means the beach, sun, vacations, and reading. Without required readings and class deadlines I am free to choose my own books to read as a way to fill my time. Personally, I can't think of anything better. Every summer I try to read something new, I look into books that I wouldn't normally think to read. I take suggestions from friends and family.

Sometimes I find the books I read because they pop up on my Kindle as something I may like. Other times I browse best-selling lists to find my next book. This summer was no different. With two week long vacations, I have found plenty of books to read.

Here's a look at my summer '16 reading list:

1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

I have read several of Kristin Hannah's books from Night Road to Firefly Lane. The Nightingale was very different from the type of story I have read by Kristin Hannah. It follows the story of two sisters, leading completely different lives living in France during WWII. It displays their bravery, strength, and will to live while painting their daily struggles in such brilliant detail that sometimes it is hard to read. The ending brings a twist that no one can see coming.

2. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

I have never read a book by Colleen Hoover, but my mom is a huge fan. I decided to give this one a try when it popped up on Amazon as something I may like. It tells the difficult story of domestic a use, telling the story from the victim's perspective. It gives readers an understanding of a difficult situation. The main character has an incredible amount of strength, by the end I had nothing but admiration for her. It was hard to put down, I finished it in a day.

3. All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

All The Missing Girls follows Nicolette "Nic" Farrell as she journeys back to her small hometown after a ten-year absence following her best friend's disappearance. Shortly after her arrival, another girl goes missing. The story is told in reverse, starting two weeks in advance and moving backward. Nic and her hometown group of friends struggle to solve the mystery of both missing girls.

4. The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

This book is centered around a small town in the south. Most of the story takes place at the town's public pool. Slowly, as the pages turn we learn more of the residents' dark secrets that they never thought would be revealed.

5. The Sister by Louise Jensen

The Sister is another thriller (surprise) set in a small English town. Grace is struggling to sort through the darkness in her life after her best friend, Charlie, dies suddenly. She attempts to fulfill Charlie's lifelong dream of finding her father, only to find Anna, Charlie's half-sister. It is a book of ups and downs. Between a stalker, the death of both Charlie and Siobhan her high school friends, and turmoil in her relationship, Grace is barely holding on. Anna seems like a glimmer of hope, a tie to her best friend.

The school year is right around the corner, but if you love to read and if thrillers and mysteries are your favorite genre. Maybe you can spend the last couple days of summer by the pool finding the answers that surround the missing girls in Megan Miranda's novel or admire the strength and selflessness that Lily exudes in It Ends with Us.