Summer is around the corner and for some of you, it's already here. While nothing beats soaking up the hot summer sun lounging around with your best friends, every now and then, curling up in a hammock and reading a book can be a perfect way to spend an hour or even a day! I am an advocate for reading for pleasure, so here are some books of all types I definitely recommend you pick up this summer.
1. "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
I picked up a copy of, "On the Road," a couple years back and fell in love with it in the first few pages. There's something about the way he writes that makes you want to read more. While not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, if you seek wanderlust and travel, I definitely recommend reading this.
2. "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
"Good Omens," is an absolutely hilarious book about the end of the world. Gaiman and Pratchett complement each others writing style beautifully, giving us 288 pages of satire, wit, and engaging dialogue. It's a truly enjoyable read that is guaranteed to keep you glued until the end.
3. "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" by Haruki Murakami
While many may know Murakami for his famous work "Norwegian Wood," his recent book, "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" has come to be one of my new favorites by him. Tsukuru's story is haunting and beautiful as the reader sees him try to navigate his life after heartbreaking loss and defeat.
4. "The Opposite of Loneliness" by Marina Keegan
"The Opposite of Loneliness" is a collection of non-fiction and fiction pieces publish posthumously after Keegan passed away tragically from a car crash five days after graduating from Yale. With Keegan's writing you, see true passion, love, and so much more. It's almost too hard to put into words. She was a college student like you and I, ready to take on the world only to be taken away from it so quickly. It urges you to think about life; what you want from it and how you want to live it. At the same time it is a beautiful reminder that life is short and you never know when it will end.
5. "Galapagos" by Kurt Vonnegut
"Galapagos" is one of my personal favorite Vonnegut novels. Vonnegut uses satire like no other, at least that I have personally enjoyed, and it really shows in "Galapagos." With the vacation cruise- turned apocalypse scenario, the reader is kept engaged through Vonnegut's words and hilarious plot twists. In classic Vonnegut fashion, the bigger questions tend to come into play. What is worth saving in a world that has gone awry?
If you're ever sitting around this summer questioning what you should read, I hope you'll find an answer on my list!
