Book Lovers get ready to read: Natalie’s top choices for summer 2018
June 11, 2018
It’s finally time to bask in the sun, travel to places with friends, and most importantly, read as many books as possible. Here are a few books on my beach bucket list.
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone
These books follow the storyline of a young boy named Harry Potter who finds out that he is a wizard, and a very special wizard at that. When Harry was an infant, he survived an attack from an evil sorcerer named Voldemort, giving him special abilities. His parents weren’t as lucky to survive, so he now lives with his mother’s sister Petunia Dursley and the rest of her family. However, after a series of unexplainable occurrences, Harry discovers he has magic within him. His life changes forever when he is to be enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At the school, he meets unlikely new friends and learns useful magical skills. All of this is disturbed, however, when dark forces intervene.
This fairy tale classic is an amazing read for all ages. Take it from me; I was in denial of reading this series for such a long time, but as soon as I read the first page of The Sorcerer’s Stone, I had caught the bug. Rowling’s intricate and humorous writing style makes even the worst of times in Harry’s life enjoyable for a reader. For those who haven’t read it yet, I assure you that you won’t regret it. You’ll probably even wish that you’d started sooner.
John Green’s most recent novel, Turtles all the way Down, is my new favorite book. It tells the story of a girl named Aza with multiple anxiety disorders whose life is turned upside down when her old friend’s father goes missing. She and her friend Daisy decide to try and solve the mystery of his disappearance, while Aza works out some internal struggles of her own. This book has something for just about everyone, from those interested in romance or mystery, astronomy, Star Wars, or even art. Although the story is amazing, the best part about this book is the characters. Each one is so incredibly unique and relatable. Their conversations will keep you on the edge of your seat, if not just the captivating storyline.
This One Summer is the ultimate beach read for fans of graphic novels. Authors Mariko and Jillian Tamaki tell the story of a 15 year-old girl named Rose on a beach trip with her mom and dad. Her family had visited Awago Beach every summer since she was five, but this time it was different. Rose’s parents have been fighting, but somehow Rose finds an escape from all of this through her friend Windy whose family lives at the beach. This interaction, however, brings up a whole new set of problems in both of the girls’ personal lives. This book does an amazing job giving a realistic view of the trials and turmoils of growing up, while also telling an emotionally captivating story.
The Conciousness InstinctThis selection is for those looking for a book to test the limits of their minds. In this new nonfiction novel, author Michael S. Gazzanigal explores the science and philosophy behind human sentience in general. Some of which is concerned with recent discoveries, and other bits go back to the famous philosopher Socrates’ times. If you’re looking for a beach read to throw yourself into and drown out the surrounding world, this is the one.
Kay Ryan is a lesser-known poet, but still deserves as much credit (or even more so) as author’s who have become popularized recently such as Rupi Kaur (Milk & Honey, The sun and her flowers) or Amanda Lovelave (the princess saves herself in this one). She has received more than five literary awards in her previous works, so naturally, this one is award-winning as well. The Best of It is a compilation of some of Ryan’s older and newer works.
This fairy tale explores the story of Meg and Charles Wallace as they use a tesseract to explore the universe on a journey to find their missing scientist father. Along the way, they meet various strange creatures and celestial beings, but also a deep evil that goes by the name of “Red.” Not only has A Wrinkle in Time a classic since it’s release in the 1960s, but it also was just adapted into a motion picture! What’s better than reading a book then seeing the characters come to life on the big screen?
Georgia Peaches and other Forbidden Fruit
In this book, Jaye Robin Brown brings a new and interesting twist to the cliché of forbidden romance. In Georgia Peaches and other Forbidden Fruit, Johanna’s radio-evangelist father accepts her sexuality, despite his religious affiliations. His work brings the family to a new town that’s more conservative than their previous one. When they get there, he asks Johanna to lie low until the end of the year to avoid public backlash. Johanna reluctantly agrees and tries to fit in as a straight girl for her father. However, this facade begins to get harder to keep when she meets a girl from her school named Mary who peaks her interest. Now, Johanna must decide between keeping her promise to her father or being who she truly is.
Julie’s family is having major issues as her brother’s PTSD develops, so she resolves to volunteer to build houses in New Orleans as an emotional escape for the time being. However, her building group turns out to be just as frustrating, so one night she decides to break away from them and find some solace in the city around her. At a Mardi Gras parade nearby, she meets a musician named Miles who she instantly clicks with. Both fed up with their dark pasts, the two agree to leave all baggage behind and explore the niches of the city together, if only for a day. On this journey, they begin to fall hard for eachother. But what neither of them know yet is that something else is about to change their lives, and it’s not the power of love. A hurricane is coming their way and they’ll have to face it together, so pretending everything is fine is no longer an option. This book will simultaniously melt your heart and heve you sitting at the edge of your seat.
The author, Malala Yousafzia, has won more than 16 awards for her strides towards peace and inspiring the next generation. This biography tells the story of her life in the middle of a war torn country, what she did to survive and encourage others to try to too, and her journey to becoming a Newberry Peace Prize winner. More than 1.8 million copies have been sold world-wide.
