| Summer Reads from Our Writers Posted: 17 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT This week, we decided to help you out of little on your summer booklist by offering some alternatives. Get ready to hit the beach with these novels recommended by our staff writers. 
All images courtesy of Amazon.com. AJ Recommends… - Looking for Alaska: I’m a sucker for a book with a good twist — this one will keep you in perspective while you’re out partying and enjoying your summer.
- The Great Gatsby: They’re making this wonderful classic into a movie due out 2012, so you better freshen up from when you had to read it in high school! (Madison also recommends this book, so consider it doubly recommended!).
- The Giver: In keeping with books you read in school, this one always leaves me pensive, and I can use all the profoundness I get while I work on a novel this summer!
Lindsey Recommends… - Catch 22: This hilariously funny war novel details the life of the main character, Yossarian, who is stuck in the ultimate pickle: If he is crazy, he doesn’t have to fly the bomber as a captain anymore, but if he is sane enough to know he’s crazy to fly, he’s actually sane and has to fly.
- Pride, Prejudice and Zombies: If you read Pride and Prejudice in school, you simply have to read this book. It’s the same story, just with zombies, bloodshed and sword fighting.
- The Things They Carried: Author Tim O’Brien is one of my ultimate writing heros. This collection of short stories about the Vietnam War is the perfect compilation of his unique writing style.
Lori Recommends… - In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and An American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson: Larson’s book is tremendously thrilling and fascinating historical intrigue.
- Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer: ZZ Packer’s short stories are hilarious and heartwarming to read.
- O Pioneers! by Willa Cather: The beautiful imagery in O Pioneers! makes me yearn for a journey to the scenic plains of the Midwest.
Madison Recommends… - Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli: This is one of my all time favorites. It tells the story of boy meets girl through the narration of Leo Borlock, the man character. It’s a great book that makes you rethink about judging someone too quickly.
- Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher: I highly recommend this book for anyone. I loved the uncommon story line about a girl who leaves behind recorded tapes about the reasons why she committed suicide. It’s a darker novel, but still a good read.
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: A wonderful classic about life in the 1920s. It details the fashions, the lifestyles and the attitudes of the people of flappers and their world. This novel also includes a love triangle, a murder and amazing narration.
Megan R. Recommends… - It Would Be Funny..If It Wasn't My Life by Lisa Dow: Kit Jennings, and her friend Mel Melrose both live in Toronto, Canada. Kit is on a journey to find Mr. Right, and winds up with many Mr. Wrongs along the way.
- With Her Boots On by Lisa Dow: The sequel to "It Would Be Funny…” This time it's Mel's turn as she is getting ready to be the bridesmaid in her brother’s wedding. It's unbelievably witty and entertaining, as Mel deals with her neighbors and her family, she's beginning to realize that Prada boots aren't the answer to everything.
- A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolf: Phoebe Swift opens a vintage dress shop, and is coping with the loss of her best friend, while spending all her time focused on work, she meets an elderly French woman who wishes to sell some of her wonderful dresses to Phoebe for her shop. The woman shares her stories of her life behind the clothing and Phoebe has realization to the connection to her own life.
Piper Recommends… - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett: A sweeping epic that tells a story of the lives of the people involved with building a grand cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. It’s set in the middle of the 12th century in England and goes through the murder of Thomas Beckett. There is love, betrayal, greed, and just about everything that makes a book juicy.
- Song of Fire and Ice, a series by George R. R. Martin: Acclaimed as the modern J. R. R. Tolkien, Martin’s writing breaths life into his characters and makes a world with dragons, walking dead, and direwolves believable. The books are about the different perspectives of four families in a medieval type civilization all at war for one throne. HBO just premiered its first season of A Game of Thrones, which is based off the series.
- Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier: A classic gothic novel about a young woman wed to a man whose last wife died mysteriously. Eventually she discovers the truth to the mystery that is of course what you would never expect.
Thoughts? Any books we missed? What do you guys recommend for a great summer read? Tell us in the comment section or tweet us @collegestyle12. |
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