Eight Books You Want To Read Before Summer Ends

1. "Yes Please" by Amy Poehler

If you’re an SNL or "Parks and Recreation" fan, you cannot miss out on this book. Amy Poehler writes her first book with lots of wit. She writes about being in the inside circle of SNL for seven years, as well as having her own (hilarious) TV show for seven years. She puts a feminist twist on it (with one of my favorite excerpts below). Plus, it’s a quick read; you won’t want to put her LOL-ing narration down.

2. "Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny" by Holly Madison

When I was around nine, I started watching "The Girls Next Door" on E! I was fascinated by the life of three girls that were dating a man older than my grandpa, yet were super pretty and all ditzy, yet funny. Although Bridget was my favorite at the time, and I found Holly to be a super annoying brown noser, after reading her book in the sun at my local pool, I’ve started to sympathize with her immensely. She writes about her life from the beginning, up to the point she met Hugh Hefner and moved into the mansion where life wasn’t as all it was cracked up to be. Summer is the best time to read about juicy, sexy stories, so pick up your copy on Amazon!

3. "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns)" by Mindy Kaling

If you’re a fan of :The Office" or "The Mindy Project," you’re going to love this! Kaling’s hilarious wit comes to life with a casual story narration about her struggles with weight as a kid, as well as reflecting on her high school/college days where she wasn’t the most popular girl in the group. But because she’s smart (and a total stitch), she was able to reach her tremendous success as an actress, writer, producer, and of course, comedian. Don’t miss out on Kaling’s wise, yet nonchalant advice for young women; she will rock your socks off.

4. "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

You know the woman in Beyonce’s “Flawless” where she gives the speech about feminism? Yeah, isn’t she awesome?! Well, now, you don’t have to keep listening to Queen B in order to feel empowered by Adichie. In this fictionalized novel, Adichie writes about a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who emigrates from Africa to go to school at Princeton. The man she’s young and in love with, Obinze, also flees military-ruled Nigeria, but for England. Flash forward 15 years, and the two reunite in a somewhat reinvented Nigeria, and start to light the flame that was blown out so many years ago—for themselves, and their home country.

5. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

I read this book in like, five days, it was that good. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 years and haven’t heard of "The Kite Runner," well, this is the same brilliant writer who tells a compelling story about family and women in Afghanistan. In a 2012 interview on Radio Free Europe, Hosseini stated he “heard so many stories about what happened to women, the tragedies that they had endured, the difficulties, the gender-based violence that they had suffered, the discrimination, the being barred from active life during the Taliban, having their movement restricted, being banned essentially from practicing their legal, social rights, political rights.” If you’re interested in crying like a baby (only for some chapters, though) and a story that’ll make you think “What even is Netflix?” check out this novel at your local library.

6. "Eva Luna" by Isabel Allende

I read this book about two years ago for my senior year AP English class, but it’s still one of my favorite books with such a beautiful message. It’s one of those books where it might require you to have a little more momentum to turn the page, but it’s beautifully written and culturally eye opening. Eva Luna, the obvious protagonist, takes the readers through the 1950s to the 1980s in Latin America during lots of turmoil between her family, men she’s lived with, and men she loves. Eva’s a talented storyteller (in which the book also touches on the subject of magical realism), and her ability to tell a powerful story takes her places—some crazy, some lovely. Guess you’ll have to read to find out!

7. "To Selena, With Love" by Chris Perez

First of all, besides the fact that Selena is one of my all time favorite artists (even though I don’t know half the things she’s saying in her songs, so I have to look up the English translations), part of the reason why I love this book so much is because the pages are rough and old fashioned. It adds so much character, like the actual Selena herself. If you’re a fan of the 1997 J-Lo motion picture, "Selena," you’ll love this book written by Selena Quintanilla’s husband, Chris Perez. The love you saw on screen between J-Lo and the actor who played him, Jon Seda, comes alive on the delicate, gorgeous pages in this heartfelt novel about Chris’s relationship with the deceased Queen of Tejano music. This book reminds fans and people who never had the chance to get to know Selena when she was still alive how much of a true phenomenon she was. You’ll read it and get butterflies by some of Chris’ touching words about the unforgettable true love he had for his wife. Warning: Read with a bed side of Kleenex.

8. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

I’ve read this book at least three times—it might just be my favorite book ever, so naturally I had to save the best for last. If I were you, if you still haven’t seen the movie, read the book first, then compare. I loved both equally. But, hey, if you’ve seen it and haven’t read the book, don’t think you’re off the hook. The book is still worth the read. The coming-of-age story follows a sweet introvert, Charlie, from freshman year to senior year of high school through all of the things teenagers experience: bullying, alcohol, drugs, and of course, love. Despite the cliché sounding summary (my apologies, peeps), it’s a work of art. The situations Charlie experiences will tug on your heartstrings and will have you feeling like you’re not the only one who ever had a bad day (or in my case, bad year) in high school. If you want to read only one book on this list, read this one!