I'm an English major. This means that while there are many things in life I'm unsure of (my future career path, how to divide fractions, etc.) one thing I have total confidence in is my ability to give awesome book recommendations. For years I loved the feeling I get by playing "reading matchmaker" with my friends and family by gifting them new novels or lending out the contents of my own overflowing personal library.

However, one downside of my major is that during the school year my reading habits sometimes fall into a "classics only" pattern and I find myself only reading whatever's been assigned to me for a course.. And while Dickens and Austen are beloved for a reason, there's so many more stories out there that aren't set in 18th century, upper-class England.

So during the summer I'm actively trying to step outside of the confines of the English Lit canon and explore more contemporary works and genres that I haven't had much experience with (For example, I just finished my very first graphic novel!)

Still, while the freedom of summer reading is great, not having a syllabus to stick to has also been surprisingly overwhelming. There'sso manygood books out there, you guys! In between local libraries, used bookstores and Amazon wish lists, my "to-be-read" pile tripled in height and I couldn't decide where to start.

I clearly needed the help of an expert or rather ". So who better to turn to than an entire "committee of experts" whose job it is to award a different book's merit this year with a giant medal?

The Pulitzer Prize in fiction (aka that big shiny gold sticker) is an award given to one American work each year that has proven itself to be a distinguished, impressive piece writing about some aspect of American life. Admittedly that's a pretty vague description, but the Pulitzer has a lot of influence in the literary world, and past winners have included some of my favorite novels such as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Toni Morrison's "Beloved.”

Since this summer my two main goals were to read more recently written books well as more books about set in different historical time periods, this list seemed like the best place to start. Plus, I luckily realized that I already had a few Pulitzer winners lying (never opened!) around the house.

I've challenged myself to use the next few months to work my way through all the latest Pulitzer winners (anything published after 2000) and have already checked off two amazing reads off my list. First, was Donna Tartt's "The Goldfinch": a book my parents had given me for Christmas back in 2014 and then had shamefully forgotten to bring with me to college 2 years in a row...sorry, Mom. I've adored Tartt's two other books, and this one was no exception. It's an action packed journey of art theft, terrorist attacks and antique dealing all told from the perspective of an incredibly perceptive young adult narrator.

After finishing "The Goldfinch," I devoured "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," a hilarious, heartwarming novel about two cousins who create their own comic book hero inspired by their own experiences after one of them immigrates to America to escape from the persecution of WWII. Although I've never been one for comic books, I remember picking this up on a whim while exploring an independent book cafè in Boston after one of my friends told me it was "Seth Cohen's favorite book on The O.C.". And for real, you should never doubt Seth Cohen.

Next up for me is the daunting "Middlesex," an epic-length coming of age story about the life of an intersex youth in the 1920s who struggles to reconcile their gender identity with their traditional upbringing. The heavy subject matter of this book (and its hefty length) has always intimidated me ever since I snagged it from my high school English teacher during a charity book swap, but now I think I'm finally brave enough to give it a shot!

Even though to some people it may seem a bit nerdy and like I've missed the point of summer vacation completely by assigning my own "homework," I've honestly gotten a real sense of satisfaction from crossing books off my list, and I've also loved how each these stories has brought back memories of different periods of my own life and reminded me of the beautiful ability of books to create connections and spark new discussions.

If you find yourself suffering from similar reading indecision I suggest narrowing your focus by creating your own themed Summer Reading List. Websites like Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com) are awesome tools for users to create unique recommendation lists like Best Young Adult Horror and Modern Novels Inspired by Greek Mythology.

For the TV fanatics out there, I'm also partial to the popular Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge (http://www.listchallenges.com/rory-gilmore-reading-challenge) where participants attempt to read all the books mentioned on every episode of 'Gilmore Girls'!

So even if you aren't into taking the Pulitzer plunge like me, there's definitely a book list out there catered to your specific tastes. So take walk on the wild side this summer (all the way to the library) and take a few reading risks!