SUMMER 2018: WHAT TO READ AND WHEN TO READ IT

Sunglasses? Check. Swimsuit? Check. Books? Summer isn’t just about ice cream and tanlines — it’s a great opportunity to read for pleasure without the stress of grades. From rich novels about love spanning continents to spine-tingling mysteries you’ll devour in one sitting, here are some books you should tune into this summer:

#1 book overall, for any day and every day …

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson. If there’s one book you read this summer, it should be this. Radiant, authentic, and beautifully written, I’ll Give You The Sun follows the lives of twins Jude and Noah. Inseparable through childhood, they lose touch with one another as years go by.

Noah narrates the first portion and Jude takes over for the second. Both are extremely compelling, and because I loved the characters so much, I wanted badly Jude and Noah to make amends. I was constantly frustrated by how drastically they both misunderstood the other, but that’s part of what made the book even more exciting.

I’ll Give You The Sun is essentially a perfectly balanced combination of Gone Girl meets Romeo and Juliet; it will leave you moved, laughing, and crying, all at the same time.

#1 book when you’re on a long plane ride …

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I should warn you that Americanah is heavy, both figuratively and literally; the plot is based around teenage love, but also involves serious topics like race and finding your identity, so it’s not a story to bring for a casual day at the beach. It’s also 477 pages long, so you probably can’t expect to read it in one sitting.

Nevertheless, I would classify Americanah as a must-read. While unfolding into a riveting story, Adichie manages to address relevant topics from interesting points of view. If you are looking for something to read and have time on your hands, give Americanah a try, you won’t regret it!

#1 book when you’re at the poolside …

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. If you’re looking for a cute and funny contemporary romance novel, look no further. Quite the contrary of Americanah, When Dimple Met Rishi is perfect to serve as a light summer read due to its whimsical, carefree nature.

When Dimple met Rishi … things did not go well. Rishi knew his parents had arranged for him to marry Dimple upon realizing that the two gravitated towards the same summer program, but Dimple had no idea. At this point, hilarity ensues, as it does at least once on each page.

One thing that bothered me with When Dimple Met Rishi was the stereotypical portrayal of characters, although mostly with secondary characters. This took away from the pure enjoyment of Dimple and Rishi, the well-developed primary characters.

Even so, When Dimple Met Rishi is a great book, especially for the summer. It’s funny, sweet, and interesting, everything I could want in a book for the poolside.

#1 book when you want to be kept up all night …

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. This intriguing, forbidding, bloody novel is giving Nancy Drew a run for her money, taking mysteries to the next level. I can guarantee that you’ll finish The Westing Game in one sitting. There’s no way to put down a mystery like this!

It all starts when an unlikely group of 16 people gather for the reading of Samuel Westing’s will after he was found dead under mysterious circumstances. This kick starts a chain of events that, as a reader, is your job to keep track of. Succeed in doing this, as well as dodging red herrings and scavenging for hidden clues, and you will solve the mystery of a dark and confusing murder; fail in doing this, and, like most who read The Westing Game, you will be left in shock when the truth is revealed at the end of the book.