5 Books You Need to Read This Summer

School is nearly over, and it’s time to start lining up those summer reads. Here’s five thought-provoking books to make you feel all the feels (good and bad). Once you pick them up, you won’t be able to put them down!

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1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I have had this on my reading list forever, and I finally got around to listening to the audiobook during a road trip recently. It is in the young adult genre, but it is absolutely something everyone needs to read. It taught me about systematic racism and the experience of a young black teenager in today’s society. Highly recommend.

2. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This book is currently all the rage.  I have seen it everywhere, and with good reason! It is captivating, historical, interesting, gut-wrenching, and heart-warming. It follows two young people during World War II in France and how their lives connect. One, a young blind girl who must navigate the German invasion of a small town alone; the other a German boy recruited into Hitler’s army. Definitely a book you want to check out!

3. A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold

I think reading this book is something everyone should do with the current political climate and the brave fight for gun control in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting. This is a memoir of Sue Klebold, the mother of Dylan Klebod, one of the Columbine shooters. She talks about what she knew about her son, and more about what she didn’t. It’s a journey of sorrow, despair, grief, community, and recovery. It’s not the easiest read, but I definitely recommend this to see every perspective of a tragedy that we keep seeing.

4. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I recently listened to this book as an audiobook while driving home for spring break alone. I wouldn’t recommend listening to this if you’re driving because it is such a thriller that I may have almost crashed my car a few times. It’s a chilling and exciting story of a young woman trying to solve the murders of her family members that occurred when she was only seven years old. It’s gripping and you will not want to stop.

5. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan

If you haven’t read this book, you MUST. It is a collection of essays and stories from a young college student, Marina Keegan. She had just graduated from Yale and was an esteemed writer when she tragically died in a car accident. Her writing made me laugh, cry, and everything in between! Definitely recommend grabbing this one from your local bookstore to keep on your shelf when you need a good read.