Hey guys!!!
Finals are right around the corner, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to feel the pressure! I lucked out this semester that most of my finals ended up being papers and speeches (my strong suit), but for the few exams I do have, I can feel them looming over my shoulder as we get closer and closer to the second week of May. Also known as the week we move out of the dorms and go home for the summer.
Still, one thing I’m most proud of that I completed this semester, considering my workload, was my ability to keep up with my reading! Now, granted, I’m an English and creative writing major and some of the books I’m going to talk about were required for me to read, but I still think that it’s pretty admirable I spent at least 30 minutes every day with an actual book in my hands.
As I’m writing this, I’ve finished a total of thirteen books and will probably finish two more before I go home in a couple weeks. Of the thirteen, I decided to pick ten of them to chat about and whether or not I think they’re worth reading over the summer. Hopefully, you clicked on this post because you enjoy reading, and if not, this is probably where we say goodbye and you check out one of my other posts. Also, two more things before we get started; one, no spoilers, and two, most of these books can be triggering and I’ll do my best to give content warnings for each one.
Anyways, let’s get started!
1. Heartless by Marissa Meyer (10/10)
This was the first book I finished in 2022 and I actually read it as a gift to my roommate for her birthday since it’s her favorite novel. I think that says a lot about our friendship if reading a book was the best gift a roomie could ask for! For those of you interested, Heartless is the only high fantasy novel I’ll be mentioning in this list. It’s categorized as a young adult novel and follows the Queen of Hearts before she became the well-known tyrant and villain in the beloved story, Alice in Wonderland. I’m already such a huge fan of Marissa Meyer’s work (she is arguably one of my favorite authors) and, once again, she did not disappoint! This book really captures young love, magic, and the struggle of finding yourself. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get their heart broken. I promise you, if you read this book, you will never see the Queen of Hearts the same!
2. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (8/10)
This is another solid read but didn’t quite match my tastes. It follows teenage twins, Jude and Noah, as they struggle with their mother’s death, growing up and apart, and expressing themselves through the one thing they’ve always had in common: a passionate love for making art. Trigger warning; there are a lot of themes talked about in this novel like alcoholism, rape, and homophobia. For me, the reason it doesn’t rank higher is that I did not like the time skips and I wasn’t a fan of how some of the triggering topics were handled. However, I still recommend this novel since it’s a big hit in high schools currently and Nelson did a great job at differentiating the dual point of view of the twins. It’s an easy read and really shows the resilience of family during tragedy.
3. Richard III by William Shakespeare (6/10)
Yeah, you may have guessed this, but I did not pick up Shakespeare for fun. I had to read the play for one of my classes, and up until that point, I had only ever read Romeo and Juliet in my 8th grade English class. However, when I sat down and cracked open Richard III, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Yes, the Shakespearean dialogue is difficult to understand, there are a lot of characters with the same names, and it is plain old sexist here and there, but this is Shakespeare. While it isn’t my favorite novel on this list, I do think it’s one of Shakespeare’s best works, or at the very least, one of the easiest pieces to sit through and understand.
4. Circe by Madeline Miller (10/10)
I cannot stress enough how bad I wish I could read this book all over again for the very first time. To put it bluntly, it was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!! For those of you who aren’t well-versed in Greek mythology (I see you Percy Jackson kids!), Circe is a sorceress in the Odysseus who saves and cares for Odysseus during his journey. The novel follows Circe as she struggles with godly power imbalances, breaking away from her family, and the meaning of life. Trigger warning; there is a rape in this novel that comes on suddenly, so please be advised. Overall, though, I’m obsessed with this book. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you like Greek mythology, feminism, and plain old good writing with lines that force you to put the book down and contemplate your entire existence, this is the book for you.
5. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (10/10)
Yes, yes, another young adult novel on this list, but with a twist!!! The entire book is made of poems! For those of you who don’t want to be reading a book for long, this is definitely a quick read that’s worth the time. It follows Xiomara, a fifteen-year-old girl caught between her family’s strict stance on religion and how she expresses this struggle through writing poetry. I’ve never read a book told through a series of poems, but I absolutely loved this change of pace. Acevedo’s writing is beautiful, simple, and heartfelt. Not only is this a quick read, but it’s also a book worth learning from!
6. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (7/10)
I’m sure you can guess, again, that I did not read this for leisure. By the way, I have nothing against the classics…they’re just not my personal taste. They are my professor’s taste, though, since this was another novel I had to read for my required reading. But, lucky for me, I’d already read this book in high school. Unlike the last book I mentioned on this list, I wouldn’t characterize this classic tale as an easy read, and I hate to admit it, but I did not finish the book a second time around. It can be a bit boring at times, but if you’ve never read Frankenstein before, I encourage you to still give it a chance. The actual book is NOT the story you think it is and I truly believe everyone should take the time to read and see for themselves who Frankenstein and his monster truly are away from the childhood stories. If anything, take the time to appreciate the very first sci-fi author and her work (that’s right, Mary Shelley is considered the first sci-fi author! Who knew!?)
7. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (9/10)
This novel is a little different than the others since it’s geared toward the middle grade. However, the age group it adheres toward does little to stop the themes it presents. The novel is actually a banned book in some school districts, because, trigger warning, it touches on explicit racism, the abuse Native Americans face on reservations, alcoholism, and so much more. Really, this novel covers EVERYTHING. This book was also the first novel I’d ever read that talks about what life on a Native American reservation is like from a child’s point of view and I feel so much more informed now that I’ve read it. The only reason it doesn’t get a ten-out-of-ten is that I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending (I wanted a little more development, honestly). But this is no place for spoilers, so if you’d like to see for yourself how this novel ends, definitely go give it a read!
8. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis (4/10)
This is the only book I’m going to talk about that I don’t think is worth reading. It follows three teens in their senior year of high school; one of which’s sister was murdered a year prior and still hasn’t received justice. Trigger warning; the novel touches on topics like rape, murder, and sexual assault, and I do not think McGinnis did enough when explaining the damage these things cause. The writing was very surface-level and I felt the characters brushed off a lot of their experiences, and in some cases, were utterly unaffected by them. It’s an easy read, but overall, not a book I see myself recommending to anyone.
9. Educated by Tara Westover (10/10)
On a completely different note, this is a book I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend. Of all the books I’ve mentioned so far, I think this is the one that’s affected me the most so far this year; at some points even bringing me to tears! The memoir follows Tara from her childhood to adulthood as she works her way through the strict Mormon rules her parents placed her and her siblings under, including no education, no medicine, and above all else, no abandoning the family. I will admit, that this is not an easy read. It is a long book, well-written, and completely eye-opening. For content warnings, there is abuse, both mental and physical, throughout the story. Most of the novel is about Tara working her way around this abuse, and it is truly inspiring. This book has altered the way I view life, religion, and growth. Please, go read it.
10. We Are Not Free by Traci Chee (9/10)
This is the last book I’ll be talking about, and it’s another one that just pulls on my heartstrings! It’s a young adult historical fiction novel that follows fourteen Japanese American teens during World War 2 when Japanese internment camps were present in the U.S. The only reason I don’t rank this much higher is that each chapter is a different point of view (one for each of the fourteen teens) which makes it a bit difficult to follow at times. However, in Chee’s defense, the novel provides fourteen different viewpoints on the internment camps; something Americans today know very little about. The book itself is utterly heartbreaking and really opens your eyes up to the racism these kids faced not too long ago in our history. Once again, I truly believe it’s worth the read.
Overall, I hope you guys liked my recommendations, and hopefully, you can pick up one of these novels for the summer. Anyways, enjoy the sunshine and happy reading everyone!!!
