School is out, along with the sun, and the best way to celebrate is to read a new book to get into the summer mood. This season is all about adventure and freedom, and that's just what these specially selected books will bring you. Whether you're looking for a thrilling adventure to break the lull of the summer heat or you need a road-trip-in-a-bottle read to cure your summer job blues, this list will cure your summertime cravings.

1. "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline

If you're a fellow nerd, read this now. This 2011 science fiction novel has been picked up by Steven Spielberg to become a movie in 2018, but it already has all the nuts and bolts to become a summer hit as a book. Cline effortlessly weaves pop culture and witty humor into the plot of this dystopian world. It is the year 2044, and the world as we know it has become broken up and left for dead. Watts lives in Oklahoma, but in 2044, it seems a lot more like District 12. He lives in a stacked trailer compound, or as they are called in the RP1 world, "stacks." The real world seems dismal for Watts, living an isolated life with his self-seeking aunt and her abusive visitors. For a painting of his childhood, picture the quintessential poor-kid-turned-superhero beginning. He finds solace in video games and the virtual world called OASIS, including its creator, James Halliday. To pass on the ownership of OASIS after his death, Halliday started a universal quest for an Easter egg he hid in OASIS, prompting Watts to obsessively familiarize himself with everything Halliday. He explores 80s TV, music, movies, and video games more than anyone who actually lived in the 80s probably did, all in the name of his hero, James Halliday. He memorizes all of Halliday's writings, pouring over it in a fashion similar to a religious practice. Though very critical of conventional religion, Watts says Halliday's writings "had become my Bible." What ensues is an exciting race to find the Easter egg intertwined with pop culture references, quirky jokes, and lessons on independence, friendship, and love. If summer is all about adventure, laser guns, and heroic redemptions for you, then this book will fulfill all your earthly desires. It's also essential if you're one of those who absolutely must the read the book before it becomes a movie.

2. "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac

This American classic may have been published in 1957, but I doubt anyone would fail to see its relevance with today after reading. Kerouac is the quintessential Beat poet, one of the original hippie Americans. Summer is the season of travel, pleasure, and feeling the sun on your back while you're with your best friends. Thus, the perfect time to read Kerouac. On The Road is based on Kerouac's travels across America with friends. Through his no-editing, no-censorship style of writing, we explore his dealings with jazz, drugs, poetry, and sensuality. I recommend this book, and more of Kerouac's writings, to any college student who wants to feel the 60s rock-n-roll of literature. Put on some jazz or go to a cool coffee shop and fill your mind with the ramblings of one of America's greats. Isn't that what a student's summer is all about? If you're working all summer, like me, On the Road is a great way to escape the workplace and pretend you're off somewhere on a road trip, far away from your everyday grind. There's also a film based on the book, starring Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, and Viggo Mortensen.

3. "How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are" by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas

I picked this up at the beginning of the summer and fell in love with the stylish and effortless way these women present their advice on living life like a Parisian. Enriched with photographs and outlines of honest stories and advice, the book gives a very French outlook on dating, working, and socializing. Reading this book was much like finding a group of French women to sit around a cafe table and listen to.

4. "11/22/63" by Stephen King

Can Stephen King do wrong? If you like a little horror in the heat of your summers, like me, Stephen King is your best friend. He brings suspense, horror, and psychological thrill together like no other, and I thank him for it. 11/22/63 is more suspense than horror, and takes you on a ride through the mind and the physical world. The story revolves around high school English teacher Jake Epping, who is introduced to a portal that leads to the American era of, you guessed it, the 1960's. I, for one, love a good exploration of the past, and King paints an enjoyable picture. Epping's meaning for going back in time is to stop the Kennedy assassination, an intriguing quest to read about. What makes it even more interesting, however, is that we see the psyche of Lee Harvey Oswald, the infamous sniper who killed John F Kennedy, more closely than ever before. King is notorious for telling stories through the eyes of the killer, and this story does not disappoint those with a thirst for King.

5. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K Rowling

If you're a super-fan of all things Harry Potter, odds are that you've probably read this. If not, this summer is the time to get on it. With the movie coming out in November this year, starring the dreamy-voiced Eddie Redmayne, this is a must-read for pretty much everyone. Personally, I like reading this alongside Rowling's other published "textbook" called Quidditch Through the Ages. Both of these books are written as textbooks that might belong to Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Along with fascinating and well-developed histories on the wizarding world, these books include fun anecdotes and side notes from characters themselves. Whether you're interested in Harry Potter, fantasy worlds, or just pop culture in general, you must learn about beasts and flying broomsticks in Rowling's mini-books.