Want some great reads for the summer? Struggling down the aisles at the Barnes & Noble? Well here’s a great list of some of my favorite books that should pick your interest. Give these a check out, and don’t delay!
1. FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury is of course my absolute favorite writer, and this book is a prime example of the reasoning behind this decision. The book opens with a wonderful line (“It was a pleasure to burn”), and goes on to beautifully articulate everything I could ever want to say regarding books and why they are important. Plus, Ray Bradbury people. I mean seriously, come on.
2. THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien
Some of the other titles in this list prove that I’m more into science fiction than fantasy, but this book is brilliant, and helped set the stage for all that fantasy could be as far as moral and social standings can go. My religious and social background really struck a cord with this book, and I only wish that they had gotten Beorn right in the films.
3. ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
The writer has come under fire for his political opinions, and rightfully so, but I still find value in his seminal book on brilliant kids and isolation. As someone who was once called ‘gifted’ (even though my times in Mrs. Hayes’ Honors English class were less than solid), I can attest to the impact of early isolation from peers; this, coupled with the way puppet masters in the government have manhandled Ender and his fellow kids only enhances the message in the book. I highly recommend the book for its discussion points.
4. TARZAN OF THE APES by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The essential superhero over twenty years ahead of the comic book world, Tarzan offers quite a lot to the imaginative child in each of us. The fact that he taught himself to read with his dead father’s books hooked me right in. The book is not without its technical faults, but the storytelling genius was enough to satisfy me.
5. LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry
I grew up on Western movies and Louis L’Amour novels, and this Pulitzer Prize winning book was the next inevitable step for me. The 800-page book really captures the poetry and the dark comedy of the American west, and the deep friendship between Gus and Call left me in tears. Truly a wonderful book.
6. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams
I am a huge science fiction fan, so why not sink my teeth into the book that includes all the clichés of science fiction in the most humorous ways? The answer, as always, is 42. Oh, and never let a Vogon read you poetry.
7. THE OUTSIDERS by S. E. Hinton
A short but highly impactful book that describes class struggle on a minute scale, this novel was another tear-jerker which must be read multiple times. S. E. Hinton was a genius, and that she wrote this book in high school is just mind-boggling.
8. LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green
The depictions of high school life, sexual tension versus emotional connections and even mental illness throughout leave you in tears as well as peace in knowing that someone out there actually understands what you went through those four years in hell. Enough said.
9. WATCHMEN by Alan Moore
Alan Moore has often been hailed as the greatest comics writer of all time, and this book is cited as the greatest example of the graphic novel and what it can do. As a critique of the superhero genre, the Cold War and muddled morality all rolled into one, this book is definitely a must-read.
10. THE OCTOBER COUNTRY by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury gets two spots on this list. This time he gets on for his short stories, for which he is often hailed as a grandmaster. “The Small Assassin” and “The Skeleton” both are excellent, eerie examples of brilliantly plotted, poetically worded short pieces that entertain and exhilarate the reader. This book is well worth the price of admission.
