This summer is the very first time I have not been assigned a specific book to read by my school. You would think I would take advantage of that by erasing school from my mind, but I have created a personal reading goal to complete by the fall semester.

My interest in reading, unfortunately, didn't spark until the last year or so after reading "Cracked" by K.M. Walton. I started to branch out into poetry and read the cliche "Rupi Kaur" books. I enjoyed them. I was able to find meaning past the thin black inked illustrations and short stanzas. Genre doesn't matter too much to me. As long as I can stay interested, I am happy.

Since I don't read personal interests throughout the semesters, I have to make the most out of my summer break. Winter break is meant for family, spring break is meant for traveling, and summer break is meant for reading.

Throughout the last few weeks, I've been creating a list of books that I've been eager to read. I came up with a list of five books and I plan on reading all of them, cover to cover.

School means the most to me right now in life. I am beyond happy that I will continue to publish articles on the Odyssey Online over the summer as well as keeping my brain as sharp as can be by reading.

The books I've chosen to read have come to my interest, whether it was through friends, ads, or I just randomly picked it up while browsing in Barnes And Noble.

"Girl, Wash Your Face" and "Girl, Stop Apologizing" written by Rachel Hollis were named #1 New York Times Bestsellers. As CEO of her own media company, Rachel Hollis shares her tips on better living habits by revealing the messiness of her personal life throughout her books. Check out her website where she shares her personal blog posts and life hacks. I'm most excited to read those two books because everyone needs a little motivation!

The next book is a sequel to another that I've previously read. "Empty" by K.M. Walton is described to be about bullying and depression. It is going to take me for an emotional ride through the life of Dell. The question remains: Just how far will she go to make all the heartbreak and the name-calling stop?

You may have seen the movie "Something Borrowed", but rumors say the book is tremendously better. I loved the movie and I'm sure I'll love the book just as much. Maybe it will lead me to read "Something Blue" by Emily Griffin.

Lastly, adding to my addiction to poetry, I plan on reading "I Don't Want To Be Crazy" by Samantha Shultz. I'll be riding the emotional rollercoaster while taking a look into Samantha's life suffering from a psychological disorder.

I am setting my reading goal high to achieve as much as possible. Regardless if I complete my goal of reading all five books, I will still be happy with the fact that I kept my brain sharp over the summer break.