Below are some favorite book suggestions from NA students. Browse through for summer reading ideas, and feel free to share your own favorites in the comment section below. We want to know what books you love! Thanks.
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I read “Love in the Time of Cholera” over break and found it moving, insightful, witty, and overall fun to read! The writing style is wry and moves quickly, even through a story that is at parts grim or disturbing. It’s an epic romantic saga that takes you through the entire lives of the three main characters in the context of their different interpersonal relationships with each other and others, and feels satisfying to finish. Would highly recommend!
I read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. It was quite good, and even made me question my sanity. The story itself was dark but the writing style was humorous.
For people who like historical fiction, spy stories, and strong women as protagonists, I would recommend the Sinclair’s Mystery series by Katherine Woodfine. The stories have engaging plots, good character development, and they leave the reader rooting for and attached to its characters and its world. The aim of the stories is not to be historically accurate, so there may be some discrepancies between the real 1910s London and the London that is presented in the books; however, it is close enough to be informative and satisfying. And for people who like the original series enough, there is a sequel series called Taylor & Rose that picks up a year after the end of the original series and has as much character development and plot action as the first series.
I would also suggest the Wildwood Chronicles. The series begins with Wildwood, then goes to Under Wildwood, and ends with Wildwood Imperium. These three books have sympathetic characters and are an interesting modern take on the mysterious forest fairytale trope.
I would also recommend the book series Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The series is fantasy, but modern, and has the main character go through realistic emotion trauma and relationships with his family. This is another story that makes you root for the main characters and rejoice with them at their happy ending.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are two incredibly popular classics by J. R. R. Tolkien. But other books by him and his son, Christopher Tolkein, that tell the history of that world and give more backstory are The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, and Beren and Luthien. The Silmarillion is the one I would recommend to read first, since it gives a history of the beginning of the world and the First Age of Middle Earth. For people who love the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, these books are definitely for them. They are written in more of a textbook style rather than the style of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but they are still worth reading.
For those of you who are interested in medicine and surgery, I definitely recommend “Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science” written by Atul Gawande. The book offers a unique perspective on the power and limitations of medicine and tells the truth about an imperfect science. Written by a surgeon, the book does not convey medicine in its idealized form, but rather sheds light on the humanity of those who work in medicine and hold our lives in their hands every day. I definitely recommend this book as it destroyed many preconceived notions I had about the medical profession and at the same time it taught me a lot about what it means to be a surgeon.
I’d read “Looking for Alaska” by John Green. While everyone is familiar to “The Fault in our Stars”, LFA is beautiful, and heartbreakingly realistic. The character’s struggle with the understanding the meaning of death, life, and suffering.
I would definitely recommend “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak. It has a very interesting plot!
I liked “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. I think it has a really interesting plot and great character development. I also think Hosseini’s other novels such as, “And the Mountains Echoed” are fantastic as well.
Read “Nine Stories”, a collection by J.D. Salinger. It’s everything you could possibly want in a group of stories. Characters range from lovers to psychotic beachgoers to 10-year-old mystic-savants. If you don’t know what a mystic-savant is, read the stories! Salinger’s writing is captivating in its simultaneously rich and succinct descriptive style, dripping with beautiful literary devices. Also, read “Fahrenheit 451” (not by Salinger, but by Ray Bradbury) for its profoundly disturbing subject matter, because everyone loves that. It’s not quite a beach read, but “Fahrenheit” forces the reader to think about the world in a way that few books can claim to. These works are fun to read, so you should read them!
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover – big plot twists and a very emotional story
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper – societal acceptance to people who don’t fit into the ‘normal’ society standards
“Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell makes you reevaluate how you live your day to day life. I think it’s a TOK summer reading book but I’d recommend it for anyone who’s interested in psychology.
“Psych Major Syndrome” is a book I read in fifth or maybe sixth grade? It’s a relatively easy book and a light read. Even though I don’t remember it much, I do remember that I enjoyed it. Looking at reviews now, it seems like it was a romance novel, but it has great humor and an interesting protagonist.
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
I would 100% recommend “Reasons to Live” by Amy Hempel. It is a collection of short stories, so you can pick it up and put it down whenever you have time, and still feel like you read a complete story. If you can only read one, definitely go to “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried”. It changed the way I percieve and deal with grief (both mine and other people’s) ans it actually changed my life! Difinitely keep a box of tissues handy for this one!
I have a lot because I’m awful and can’t shut up or make decisions what’s up
–Autobiography of Red (Anne Carson) is a poetry-novel mixture centering around Greek myths and it has some really potent emotion and also, those lines that stick with you,
–The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt) follows her other work (most notably the Secret History) in being vaguely unsettling and aesthetic. The kind of book that you don’t stop thinking about, which is both good and bad. Very appealing to the pretentious aesthete in me (which is all of me).
–Jazz (Toni Morrison) is straight up incredible. So is everything Toni Morrison’s ever written. I can’t start to talk about why I love it because we’d be here forever.
–Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson) is honestly probably my favorite thing that’s been written. It’s non-fiction and follows the injustice in the criminal justice system, particularly through the lens of race and poverty, and Stevenson’s experiences as a human rights lawyer. Beyond the fact that it’s honest and literally the exact field I want to go into, it’s beautifully written– Stevenson melds poetry with fact like it’s second nature.
–I really need to cut myself off, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the now-famous Ron Chernow biography of Alexander Hamilton. It’s one of the better Rev. War bios out there in my opinion, but take it with a grain of salt. It’s a little too kind to Ham, and definitely doesn’t tell the whole story (especially with regards to his stance on abolition #yikes). Also if you’re going to read the bio, you should check out some stuff on John Laurens, who’s come into the public eye at last as a result of Hamilton. Fascinating stuff, but no good bios on him yet 🙁
–OKAY LAST ONE and most of you are probably much cooler than me and therefore won’t be interested in it, but Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop (two recent US poets who are crazy interesting) have a collection of letters called “Words in Air” and it’s so good!!! So good.
“Memories of Summer” by Ruth White! It’s a novel about a girl and her older sister Summer, who has schizophrenia. Summer’s deterioration from a vibrant girl to a person consumed by her mental illness is hard on both her and her family. The book is a quick read, emotional, and beautifully written 🙂
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
This book is extremely funny, and a light read, perfect for the summer.
I recommend reading: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
It is dense and will leave you sleep deprived, but in the end it is SO worth it – it leaves you with an an aching feeling of nostalgia, depth and self-reflection. It is a great summer read as its sheer beauty and “thought-provokingness…” really puts things into perspective.
I recommend the Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It’s one of my absolute favorites, so eclectic and effervescent!! Trust me, Flavia DeLuce will change your life.
READ “THE MAZE RUNNER”. YOU WILL LOVE IT. If you liked “The Hunger Games” and/or the “Divergent” series, then this is the book for you! This is a fast-paced adventure book which takes place in a dark and violent post-apocalyptic world. It is reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies, without the inventiveness of The Hunger Games. Readers who enjoy dystopian novels will enjoy it, and Thomas is a strong role model who does not fall easily into peer pressure or give up his own sense of what’s right. Have fun reading!
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
A 16 year old boy travels to an island off the coast of Wales and finds a battered down home he thinks is abandoned. He discovers that it is instead a time loop and in the loop there lives peculiar children, a girl lighter than air, an invisible boy, etc. cared for by a woman named Miss Peregrine. There are people (or rather things) that want to hurt the children. The boy, Jacob Portman, finds that his peculiarity is something that may be able to help save the children. It’s a REALLY good book and I definitely recommend reading it!!
Hey, the summer’s coming up, and nothing says summer like books, so if you REALLY want to live this summer to the fullest, you’ve gotta read “One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories” by B.J. Novak (he was on “The Office” and in “Inglourious Basterds”. Absolutely hilarious book, essentially cover-to-cover with short stories in varying lengths. HOWEVER – this book is a little crude at times, a little sexually graphic, but VERY funny. Don’t read this if you’re looking for a sad, dark, serious story. Have a radical summer dudes!
1) Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel): an amazing blend of pre-, post-, and during-apocalyptic fiction. Very personally and realistically written.
2) Tell The Wolves I’m Home (Carol Rifka Brunt): a girl in the 1980s growing up after her beloved uncle dies of AIDS. You will cry.
3) The Disappearing Spoon (Alan Weisman): discoveries, breakthroughs, and major concepts in chemistry, written so that even someone who doesn’t enjoy chemistry or history will like it. Funny and informative.
4) Airborn (Kenneth Oppel): a steampunk novel set in a world where airships take the place of airplanes.
These are my four favorite books (not necessarily in order, though) that I hope others will read and enjoy.
Lately I’ve read all of the John Green books, but my all time favorite (and my favorite book in general) is Papertowns. It is engaging, hilarious, and the characters are wonderful. The movie is also coming out soon, but please read this first.
If you’re looking for a series, I love the author Garth Nix. I forget what the series is called, but the books are (in order) Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen. Also by him is the series “The Seventh Tower” which is great.
1. Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
2. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Jonathon Safron Foer
These are two of my favorite books. They’re incredibly emotional, but super worth it. If you’re interested in something not sad you should read my favorite “children’s” books (you really should have read these already but if you didn’t start now) “the BFG” by Roald Dahl or “the Phantom Tollbooth” by some author I don’t remember
“A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole if you’re looking for something long and quixotic. “A Single Man” by Christopher Isherwood if you’re looking for something short that packs a punch.
any poem by Rae Armantrout
1. “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson
2. The Harry Potter series on the off chance that someone hasn’t read them already because it’s absolutely amazing
3. Any of John Green’s books
4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card if you’re into sci-fi books (or if you aren’t– this is the first one I’ve ever read and I loved it)
1. “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson
2. The Harry Potter series on the off chance that someone hasn’t read them already because it’s an absolutely amazing story
3. Any of John Green’s books
4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card if you’re into sci-fi books (or if you aren’t– this is the first one I’ve ever read and I loved it)
I would recommend the Interesting’s by Meg Wolitzer. It keeps flashing back from childhood to adulthood of this one main character. It seems a little strange in the beginning but it gets good towards the middle.
I really like the play Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley and would definitely recommend reading it.
1. Possession, by A. S. Byatt. It’s kind of romance-y but still very literary, and it does that thing of creating stories within stories, which I love.
2. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver. I’m not a huge fan of her other books, but I did really enjoy this one, even though it does have a lot more teenage angst than I can usually stomach.
3. The New Policeman, by Kate Thompson. I first read this one years ago but I still love it, maybe because it’s set in Ireland and I can feel my Irish roots calling to me through the pages? I don’t know. It’s fun, it’s well-written, and it’s got some great plot twists.
Well, The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss is one of my top books. I’ve never seen prose and humor like it in the fantasy genre before. This is the second book, actually; the first is called The Name of the Wind. A favorite snippet: “It was deep and wide as autumn’s ending. It was heavy as a great river-smooth stone. It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.”
Damn. Good stuff.
In other news, Faith by John Love is the most philosophical and bizarre science fiction piece I’ve ever read. It’s…difficult to describe, I suppose. Recommended reading for those who like have their minds blown.
Ender’s Game was pretty good, as were a few of its sequels, but I think those are pretty well know already.
Less well known is the Dresden Files, which are an odd mix of detective story, comedy, and urban fantasy. They’re by Jim Butcher, who certainly knows what he’s doing. The main character, Harry, has to be my favorite character of all time, from any series.
Worth a look.
One of my favorite books is “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini, who’s one of my favorite authors. This book is a great example of “show, don’t tell,” and leaves you completely emotionally impaired.
His other book “Kite Runner” is also an amazing example of how to convey emotion to your reader by showing instead of telling, but it’s even more gut-wrenching than A Thousand Splendid Suns so..
Also, both books have extremely strong, individualistic characters that are unique and very lifelike. It reads more like biographies of these people than a fictional story about characters.
The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
Awakening by Kelly Armstrong
The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
I really love the book “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto” (by Chuck Klosterman). Its comprised of a series of essays that examine all different areas of pop culture. Its extremely comedic and satirical and the author rocks at having a critical eye about everything he writes.
I recommend just googling it at first to read a list of the wide variety of topics he covers. If something interests you, go from there
One book I’ve found has helped me grow as a writer is The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in the Ship of Her Own Making. It’s a great example of how far the limits of fiction can be pushed. Also I would recommend everything by David Sedaris for everyone.
I really, really enjoyed The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a novelization of a BBC Radio series in the 1970s and 1980s. Both the Radio Series and the book were written by Douglas Adams, British author. The book is fantastically written, with very smart humor and interesting characters. The main draw is, of course, the somewhat absurd humor of the series. I really recommend the radio series over the books (just barely), but because this is a “creative writing” based blog, I’d equally recommend the books.
Okay, the majority of the books I’m about to mention are either already posted about, or are really popular books. But, oh well:
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – This is my favorite book of all time and I absolutely love everything about it. It’s perfection. (Also, I would recommend Tender Is the Night and This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which I have heard are both great books, but I haven’t actually read them yet. Emphasis on yet.)
2. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen – This book was also amazing, but if you don’t like romance-y books, then you probably wouldn’t like it as much as I did. It’s really different and follows an orphaned Cornell student who joins a traveling circus as their new vet. Even if you don’t like romance novels, it’s still a really good book and I’d definitely recommend it!
3. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – WARNING: this book is EXTREMELY frustrating for the first 50-100 pages. I found it really annoying how the story jumped between different time frames, but once you get further into the book it gets easier to differentiate between them. I loved this book because I’m way too obsessed with symbolism and motifs. This book has a ton of those.
4. After Dark by Haruki Murakami – This book is very different than any other book I’ve ever read. It makes no sense, but it’s amazing. The only frustrating thing about it is that Murakami leaves a lot of unanswered questions at the end, but the story is incredible.
As much as I love the Lord of the Rings, I’ve never read it… I have a whole anthology of it, so I’m probably going to spend a good portion of this summer reading the trilogy and the rest of Tolkien’s Universe 🙂 Also, as a science geek, I recommend the 4% Universe to anyone who’s interested in what dark matter is. Oh, one more thing, read Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises.
I would recommend “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. I read it last summer and I found it to have such a powerful plot and it is also written beautifully.
I recommend Perks of Being a Wallflower as a summer reading. The book is heavy in emotion and makes the reader think a lot, but is also a quick read and is written in an unusual perspective and style. It’s one of my favorite books and couldn’t put it down. It is also different enough from the movie to read even after you have watched it!
Books I have read and recommend:
(*will probably make you cry)
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini* (someone already mentioned this but who cares. Please read it.)
Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card*
Night – Elie Wiesel*(I’m seeing a trend here)
The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Books I am in the middle of reading but still recommend (I am a book-sampler):
After Dark – Haruki Murakami
IQ84 – also Haruki Murakami
1984 – George Orwell
The Alchemist – Paulo Coehlho
Alright Friends, I’m gonna give it to you straight: there are far to many great books that I want everyone to read for me to recommend to y’all, so I’ve had to pick and choose three of the best that you probably haven’t heard of.
The First Law Trilogy- the only series on this list I am embarrassed to say I haven’t finished, Joe Abercrombie’s works are a masterpiece of low fantasy. With a vain noble, a vicous barbarian, a vengeful slave, a commoner turned commander, and a crippled torturer as POV characters, this series will get you engrossed in its dark humor and brutal action scenes. Abercrombie’s characters are human and flawed, with humor that is perhaps the best in the genre. (WARNING: these stories are exceptionally dark)
Quotes: “Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.”
“I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.”
Seven Realms Series- If you prefer your stories with a little less murderdeathkilling and a little more romance, this is what you want. It’s got badass female leads, cunning male protagonist, and a complex plot filled with enough twists to keep a reader on their toes. I have to say, Han Alister is one of my favorite protagonists and perhaps my favorite teenage protagonist of all time. The magic in the series is also very interesting.
Starts with “The Demon King”
quotes: “Arrows are faster than jinxes”
“But it’s not enough to know right from wrong. You need the strength to do what’s right, even when what you want most in the world is the wrong thing.”
I recommend “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson because it’s not only funny, but also lets you experience hiking the Appalachian trail without leaving your bed. This book describes Bryson’s attempt to walk all 2,200 miles of the trail, with his unfit friend Stephan Katz, and his subsequent acceptance that he will eventually complete less than half of that goal. Also, there’s a film adaption, although I can’t vouch for the quality since I haven’t seen it.
I would recommend Dubliners by James Joyce. He really captures a lot of the elements of fiction we talk about in class. We read this book in IB english so for any students going into that class you could get a head start on the class material. These short stories are very diverse but the main thing i took away from reading them was his ability to develop a strong plot and characterize through lots of dialogue, gesture, and strong descriptions in a variety of perspectives.
Two books I read my junior year and loved were:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Average American Male by Chad Kultgen
While both are easy reads, they differ very much in content and I love their author’s distinctive styles. A warning about the second novel I listed, while it is quite entertaining it is also extremely offensive.
1. The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini
2. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents- Julia Alvarez
3. The Divergent Series- Veronica Roth
The first 2 books, are novels that I began reading, but haven’t gotten the chance to pick back up. This summer it is my goal to read these, along with some others (a lot of the books mentioned sound really interesting). From what I read, both of are very well written, full of emotion, and eye-opening while still being relatable. I haven’t read the Divergent Series, but I hear the books are amazing. I’m looking forward to reading those as well.
If I stay by Gale Forman. Here’s the description from Amazon: In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia’s story will stay with you for a long, long time.
1. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
Funny, easy to relate to the characters, poignant. It also hits close to home as it’s set in New Brunswick, NJ, but shows a different part of NJ (Latino immigrants) than the upper-middle-class white surburban NJ most of us are used to.
2. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Very detailed and precise language, incorporation of magical surrealism throughout novel
I find it impossible to pick my favorites for anything but here are two books I really enjoy.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
I love these two books because I love the style of these two distinct authors. They seem to be able to write the most relatable things when you can’t even physically relate to the topics at hand. The way they write compels you to keep wanting to read further.
Oh and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
“The Ethics of Ambiguity” by Simone de Beauvoir
(But only if you’re feeling up to it)
“Bossypants” by Tina Fey
(Comfort food)
“Drown” by Junot Díaz
I dole out portions of “Bossypants” in between comments to sustain my good humor when I am writing reports for students.
Zero Day — David Baldacci
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
Both mysterious. Little creepy. Well written but pay attention to detail!
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
My Sisters Keeper by Jody Picoult
or The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks because, come on, it’s a classic.
I’ve mainly been reading Tom Clancy lately (fictional espionage/war), and if you wish to read one of his books, I would definitely read “Rainbow Six”, which is one of my favorite books of all time. The sheer research and attention to detail that Tom Clancy uses means that everything he writes about could happen. If you’re not into that kind of book, I’d suggestion some good old fashion “Sherlock Holmes”. Any one of the stories really. You can’t beat a classic.
Two fiction books that I can recommend are Graceling by Kristin Cashmore and Eona by Alison Goodman. Both aren’t too complex but are good readings to pass the time. Eona sort of delves into Asian mythology. I can also recommend Bandit’s Moon by Sid Fleischman. It’s a children’s novel but it deals with huge complex issues of murder and corruption and the government turning a blind eye until the Bandit gains more popularity and respect than the government ever gets.
One of my favorite books I have read is Looking For Alaska by John Green. This book had me laughing one moment and crying the next. It is by far one of the best books I have read.
Another book I’d recommend is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. It’s a classic and at times tough to read, but it is a great read.
I read a really good book this year called Grendel by John Gardner. It’s a somewhat existentialist (okay, extremely existentialist) retelling of the Beowulf myth from the perspective of the monster, Grendel. I liked it a lot because it somehow made me feel both revulsion and pity for Grendel, which is a very hard thing to do, considering he’s a blood-thirsty monster that rips a guy’s head off and – yeah, I’ll just stop there.
I would also recommend Midnight’s Children (I wrote my extended essay on that, so you know I had to enjoy it if I wrote 4,000 words on the damn thing) by Salman Rushdie – it’s funny and sad, with a touch of magical realism, an extremely memorable (and unreliable) narrator, and interesting contemporary Indian history.
I’ll add more as I think of them!
One book I think the next class will enjoy very much is “The Secret Life of Bees”, a book set in the 1960s that deals with not only the civil rights movement, but also with the struggle of finding an identity. I think that summer reading books should be both thought provoking and enjoyable. This book is a light read, but also a good introduction to creative writing.
I would recommend Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I read it over the summer and even though it was published in 1932 it is still great today. I usually don’t enjoy science fiction stories, like this one set in the year 2450. But, Brave New World was captivating, well written, fun and a great read. You should all check it out!!
I’m reading a few books right now that I highly recommend. Okay, here comes a classic, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R. Tolkien, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. All of these books are amazing, and I love them.
Definitely Lolita. (it is not easy English to read, though)
The Smell of Good Mud(poetry anthology) by Lauren Zuniga is really nice. She is a performance poet, and this is not a easy book to find, but it’s is definitely worth a read.
Never let me go-the movie is not bad (staring Keira Knightly, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield)…but just like any book-based movies–just go read the books because they are always, Always, ALWAYS 100x better.
One of my favorite books of all time is “American Gods,” by Neil Gaiman. It’s very hard to explain what its about, but basically it involves the rise of various Gods (from all different cultures) fighting against humanity in an attempt to provoke an apocalypse. They are all Gods that have been brought over to the United States by immigrants. It’s very funny, but aspects of it are historically accurate as well making it all the more awesome. It is a fairly quick read and very enjoyable.
umm. mthigpen15 is actually me, alicja. i’m by accident logged into my friend’s account and can’t log out.
I definitely agree with rxu14, ‘The Glass Caste’ by Jeannette Walls is an amazing, although potentially jarring story. I also recommend ‘I am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced’ by Nujood Ali. The story is told by Ali, though seasoned journalist Delphine Minoui helped with the novel. The autobiography discusses Ali’s child marriage to an abusive older man in Yemen. With incredible, though sometimes graphic details, Ali tells of her escape and eventual divorce. Here’s the shocker: Ali is 15 years old today (born after most of us in 1998) and escaped her marriage not 40 years ago, but in 2008. This is especially a great book if you are interested in feminism.
My recs include “Lolita” by Nabokov and “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. Both are amazingly well-written, but mildly disturbing (so be wary). Happy reading!
Lolita… oh my god.
One of my favorite books of all time is “The Time-Traveller’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger.
The well-written story, differing perspectives, as well as the very cool timeline make for an engaging and compelling read. This novel has everything. Love, Action, Mystery, Science-Fiction (because of the time travel), and of course an intricately written storyline. In addition to being an excellent read because of the heart-stirring romance, it brings up interesting ideas and questions, like the meaning of life, and interesting ideas of the concept of linear time. Fans of Homer’s “Odyssey,” fans of Star Trek, and fans of “Twilight” will all enjoy this book. Also, if you do not like any of those three, you will like this book.
PS: The movie ain’t got nothin’ on the book, so don’t judge a book by its movie.
PPS: I can vouch for Alex’s choice, as, inspired by his post, I went back and revisited “Giving Tree.” As excellent the 150th time you read it…definitely worth it.
Sarah Dessen, a writer who has written a lot of teenage female writers is the main author i’ve been reading lately. Most of her books are for females, so fair warning, but i love reading her because she has a very unique style to her writing. Her vocabulary is breath-taking, and if nothing else, i have expanded mine thanks to Dessen’s novels. But I love her novel “Just Listen” and I’m also currently reading her book “What Happened To Goodbye.” So, if you want a girlish teenage love story, Dessen is definitely the way to go.
A book that I enjoyed a lot when I was younger is “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. My 7th grade english teacher recommended it to me, and I really liked it. The book is about a girl who is part of a society where the kids participate in the Hunger Games. Every child’s name is put in a couple times into a random drawing, and if your name is drawn you are in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are scary, terrifying and broadcasted on the TV. The entire book shows how strength, perseverance, and luck always find happiness in the end.
I recently revisited The Giving Tree by Shel Silversteen after not having read it for ten years. Reading it was a wonderful nostalgic experience that made me remember what it was like to be in first grade again. And while I loved the book when i was little, I feel like I got much more out of it when I read it as a teenager. I suggest others come back to this wonderful book. Trust me, it’s worth it.
The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. It’s a memoir about the hard life Jeannette (a successful writer) had growing up, and it’s just really amazing and shocking. Read it.
I would recommend the book “The Perks of Being a A Wallflower.”
by Steven Chbosky.
It is fomatted through letters addressed only to a ‘friend’ by a boy named Charlie who is caught between living his life and running away from it. I think this book is a good coming-of-age novel that talks about the dilemmas we all face as teenagers , including drinking, sex, dating, and for some, coming out of the closet. found this book to be very inspiring because I have faced a lot of issues that Charlie faced, and think the way he handles each situation is beautiful.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
I recommend: Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Angela’s Ashes is an outstanding memoir that tells the the amazing life story of Frank McCourt. McCourt tells a very vivid story of his poverty stricken life as a young boy that moved from Brooklyn back to Ireland. From reading about the many drunken encounters with his father to the nights when he would go to sleep without dinner, you definitely will not be able to put this one down. Titled after his beloved mother , Angela, this memoir tells the story of how one woman tried to keep her family together when it seemed nearly impossible. If you enjoy, Angela’s Ashes, I invite you to read Teacher’s Man and ‘Tis, two additional biographies by McCourt.
Because Newark Academy students spend so much time doing intellectual heavy lifting, I think books should be used as an escape from that, an enjoyable visit to another world. Therefore, these books are vibrant, interesting, well written, and actually immerse the reader in a whole other culture without being pedantic about it:
“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, a book that takes place in a traveling circus during Prohibition.
“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Michael Chabon, about the heyday of the comic strip in the 1940s and ’50s.
This summer, I realized that most of what I read on my own is non-fiction, and made a concerted effort to find the time to read (and enjoy) some fiction. Although, I enjoyed all of the books I read, the one that I would without question recommend is Kurt Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle”. While almost everyone is familiar with Slaughterhouse Five, I think that this book is just as good. Vonnegut’s wry, satirical style shines through, and the subject matter (without giving too much away) is extraordinarily relevant and thought provoking given the world events of the past decade.