Summer is about getting tan, raking in extra cash so you can have some money to spend next semester, taking a much-needed break from the stress of classes and tests, and if you're an English major...or just an avid reader it is about reading all of the books you had to put aside while you were scanning textbook passages and taking notes for finals.

Here are some of the books that I have had to read for class that I actually enjoyed. These are books that I would recommend anyone to pick up in their free time over the summer and give a try.

1. Winger by Andrew Smith

Winger is the story of a 14-year-old high school junior (obviously super smart) who plays rugby at an elite private boarding school. Winger, or Ryan Dean, tells the story from his point of view. Readers follow him as he recalls his life-changing junior year, complete with love and the struggle to fit in that every high student suffers, only magnified because of his age. Dealing with life and the challenges it throws at him forces Winger to grow up fast. Yes, Ryan Dean seems obnoxiously shallow at first, but keep reading. It is worth it.

2. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halsey Anderson

This book is about a girl named Hayley moving back to her father's childhood hometown after spending life on the road together while he was a truck driver. She is forced to assimilate into life as a high school student although at home she is dealing with a father suffering from PTSD. She takes on the role of parent in her household until meeting friends that change everything. It is a story of growing up in faster than you need to.

3. Stick by Andrew Smith

This class definitely made me a fan of Andrew Smith and his ability to tackle tough issues such as death, abuse, and homosexuality in a way that keeps the characters likable and non-stereotypical. Stick is about the McClellan brothers, Bosten and Stark, better known by his nickname, Stick. They suffer abuse at the hand of their father. While Stick and Bosten challenge bullies, their parents, and are faced with multiple love interests; the overall theme is brotherhood and the bond the two of them share.

4. Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S King

This book calls for willing suspension of disbelief... A lot of it. Glory O'Brien's mother committed suicide when her daughter was only four years old, which opens up a whole lot of psychological problems for the protagonist. Glory and her best friend, Ellie drink a mummified bat. No, that is not a typo. This bat gives them the ability to see a very grim future for our country. Glory chooses to document the accounts in her book with the same title as the novel. What makes the book alluring is the character of Glory O'Brien. She defies every high school stereotype and is perfectly content walking to the beat of her own drummer.

5. Dear Zoe by Phillip Beard

Dear Zoe is dark. We are immediately told that the protagonist, Tess DeNunzio's younger sister, Zoe, has died. Tess is in high school dealing with the traumatic loss of her sister, her mother's downward spiral, and helping her stepfather take care of her other younger sister. In an attempt to save herself, Tess goes to live in the bad part of town with her self-proclaimed "shitty" father. It is here where she is given the distance and tools she needs to help move past her sister's death with the help of her new next door neighbor, Jimmy Freeze and her puppy, Frank. The entire novel is a letter to her late sister, which Tess claims to help her move past the tragedy.

These books may not be the lightest of reads. At times, the content is difficult and there are other moments when you're going to want to strangle the characters, I.e Ryan Dean in Winger. Regardless, they all teach important lessons and show incredible character growth.