The Dog Days of summer are upon us.
It’s time to get your mojo back before school starts up again and there is no better thing to revitalize and revamp your attitude and mindset than a good read or, in this case, 8 good reads. I’ve got the scoop on the riveting, enticing and oh so addicting books that should be at the top of your list as summer winds down and the academic routines start back up again.
8. "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" - Cheryl Strayed
“Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren’t a state of being, but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was.”
A compelling tell-all about one woman’s journey as she walks 1,000 miles up the West Coast in a grand effort to piece back together the shattered remnants of her life.
7. "Tuesdays with Morrie" - Mitch Albom
“If you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down on you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.”
A story about a hotshot, Mitch, who is humbled by the impending death of his college professor, Morrie. Morrie’s voice drives the story as he and Mitch discuss every landmark in the maze we call life. This book will leave you laughing, crying and in awe of what death can inspire.
6. "Paper Towns" - John Green
“That's always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they're pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste.”
The age-old tale about a boy who imagines a girl to be more than just a girl. Pick up this modern classic and relive your high school days. Green’s characterization of the vibrant personalities that make up the Paper Town of Orlando, Florida, will both floor you and inspire you.
5. "52 Cups of Coffee" - Megan Gebhart
“Decide what you value so you know what you’re willing to pay to get it.”
Megan didn’t know exactly what she wanted when she graduated college but she did know she wanted adventure. She set out on a mission to meet a stranger each week, as she prepared to venture out into the real world. The result was a culmination of 52 diverse, captivating lives that have hearty lessons to teach readers.
4. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" - Stephen Chbosky
“We accept the love we think we deserve.”
A painfully raw and true account of what it is to be a freshman in high school on the road to finding yourself. Charlie shares his unconventional freshman year escapades as he struggles to come to terms with his past, present and fear of the future. Chbosky's tale is riddled with angst, truth and, of course, allusions to some of the best songs of all time.
3. "Brave New World" - Aldous Huxley
“But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”
Sex, drugs and a fear of monogamy are what drive this thrilling dystopian society book that closely parallels our modern day society. Huxley wrote this classic as a statement against the luxuries that a modern world imposes upon the masses. If you’re having an existential crisis, this is the book for you.
2. "The Last Lecture" - Randy Pausch
“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
You’ll need a box of tissues for this one. Randy Pausch, professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with stage 4 Pancreatic cancer. As per Carengie Mellon tradition, he delivered his last lecture and shared the key to achieving your childhood dreams. That lecture was later turned into this inspiring text that will leave you renewed and ready to take on the world.
1. The Ramayana- R.K Narayan
"You cannot count on the physical proximity of someone you love, all the time. A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parent tree remains stunted until it is transplanted. Every human being, when the time comes, has to depart and seek his fulfillment in his own way."
The Ramayana is a text unlike any other. As one of the central texts in Hindu culture, its influence in the world is unfathomable. It is truthfully a timeless love story that gives Nicholas Sparks a run for his money. Love, family, adventure and danger fill the pages of this captivating story.
