Summer is right around the corner, and now that school is on break, many of us have more leisure time to read. But many, including myself, struggle with finding a book to read from such a large variety of options. So here are three books that I recommend adding to your summer reading list!
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Daisy Jones and the Six follows a 70’s rock band from before the band was formed until their unexpected split of the band that has remained an unknown reason why the band broke up for decades until the unnamed interviewer decides to document the whole story of the band. The novel is told in an interview format as you hear from members of the band, their managers, their romantic partners, and other musicians’ stories to uncover what led to the ultimate split of the band. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook because all the main characters have their own voice actors, and it really feels as though you are experiencing a true documentary of this band. After reading this book, I felt as though this was a real-life band that existed, and even found myself searching the band’s name to try to find their songs. To my disappointment, this was a fictional band/story, but as you are reading, it really feels as though these characters are real people since you become so deeply immersed in their lives.
Normal People by Sally Rooney: Normal People follows two protagonists, Marianne and Connell, as they transition from adolescence to adulthood set in the post-2008 Irish economic downfall. Marianne and Connell come from two different social classes, Marianne’s family comes from the higher elitist class, and Connell lives with his working-class mother. The book follows their raw relationship as they weave in and out of their lives. Sally Rooney has a very poetic and unique way of writing, as she doesn’t even use quotation marks. In my opinion, the lack of quotation marks works well in terms of the novel since it blurs the lines between inner monologue and dialogue and explores the difficulty of communication. Normal People is one of my favorite books that I read so far this year, and I think the realness and rawness that Rooney portrays through her characters make the book very memorable. Once you finish the book, I also highly recommend watching the mini-series adaptation on Hulu by the same name.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman: If you have been scrolling through Netflix recently, you may have come across the teen drama Heartstopper. The show is based on a comic book series of the same name. Heartstopper follows Charlie Spring, an openly gay teenager in his all-boys prep school, as he begins to form an instant friendship with Nick Nelson, a rugby player at his school. The comic book follows the story of Charlie and Nick through their high school years and touches upon many important topics that many teenagers deal with. The book’s main themes are friendship, romantic relationships, family, mental illness, and discovering one’s sexuality. Alice Oseman does an amazing job of portraying a diverse group of teenagers who experience life that many other young teens go through. If you’re looking for a very fast-paced series that is very comforting yet deals with raw experiences that teenagers go through during their high school years, then I assure you that you will adore the Heartstopper comics. Once you have finished reading the four comics, I highly recommend watching the Netflix series, as it does a great job of bringing the comics to life!
