It's finally that time of the year when all the book nerds throw back, relax, and get ready for extreme reading. Oh, joy, I am so stoked because summers are when you can finally get to try perhaps a new genre, or a book you've heard plenty about, but have never gotten around to read. The only problem is, the world is overflowing with books of all sorts, so much so that it can be sort of intimidating stepping out of your norm. This year, I've actually already taken some baby steps away from the YA field. Today, I will share with you the books I've read this year that would make worthy summer reads. So progress, good folk.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
1) The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Blurb:
Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy. (more)
Why you should read it:
Ever read a book that really makes you feel nostalgic? Makes you feel a longing for childhood, or just really goes deep into your memories and emotions and builds a nest there? This book does that with its subtle hint at beautiful lessons about what it means to be a child and how we grow up to forget. The setting was beautiful and vivid, containing every sort of comfort (a pond, quiet old town, a barn, green hills).
Bottom Line:
Read to feel a moment of awe.
2) The Little Prince
Blurb:
A pilot forced to crash land in the Sahara desert encounters a little prince who is visiting the earth from his own small planet with its three volcanoes and a beautiful flower. Through this encounter, the pilot comes to discover many of life's universal truths which illuminate the human condition with all its foibles, cunning and eccentricities. The Little Prince is a strange and wonderful parable for all ages, championing the beauty and wisdom of childhood which fades when one becomes a 'grown up'. (more)
Why you should read it:
The Little Prince is a timeless, abstract classic that is relatively fast to read. The pictures within the books are absolutely breath taking, and the dialogue is so very unique and emotional.
Bottom Line:
Read to indulge in the aesthetic of language and art simultaneously.
3) The Golem and the Jinni
Blurb:
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Struggling to make their way in 1899 New York, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true selves.
And then, one cold and windy night, their paths happen to meet. (more)
Why you should read it:
If you are a die-hard fan of beautifully constructed love stories, than jump right on and read this baby! The main characters are so very unique, and the story will keep you on edge and turning the pages because you simply cannot get enough of the plot.
Bottom line:
And then, one cold and windy night, their paths happen to meet. Tell me this line doesn't give you goosebumps of anticipation.
4) The Ghost Bride
Blurb:
Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.
Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price. (more)
Why you should read it:
For those of you who are reluctant to step out of YA fiction, this piece of work is a great place to start. The writing style is not very different than that of YA. The plot of the book is very unique, and the mysterious element really reels you into a whole new world. And if you are not accustomed to reading about books that take place overseas, well, you should be worried. Books with Chinese or Japanese settings can be extremely beautifully crafted, and extremely addicting. After you read this, you will want more books with a similar setting, at which point I would recommend Three Souls by Janie Chang
Bottom line:
You will not be able to predict the ending. Or the romance (insert wink).
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
Blurb:
Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy. (more)
Why you should read it:
Ever read a book that really makes you feel nostalgic? Makes you feel a longing for childhood, or just really goes deep into your memories and emotions and builds a nest there? This book does that with its subtle hint at beautiful lessons about what it means to be a child and how we grow up to forget. The setting was beautiful and vivid, containing every sort of comfort (a pond, quiet old town, a barn, green hills).
Bottom Line:
Read to feel a moment of awe.
Blurb:
A pilot forced to crash land in the Sahara desert encounters a little prince who is visiting the earth from his own small planet with its three volcanoes and a beautiful flower. Through this encounter, the pilot comes to discover many of life's universal truths which illuminate the human condition with all its foibles, cunning and eccentricities. The Little Prince is a strange and wonderful parable for all ages, championing the beauty and wisdom of childhood which fades when one becomes a 'grown up'. (more)
Why you should read it:
The Little Prince is a timeless, abstract classic that is relatively fast to read. The pictures within the books are absolutely breath taking, and the dialogue is so very unique and emotional.
Bottom Line:
Read to indulge in the aesthetic of language and art simultaneously.
Blurb:
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Struggling to make their way in 1899 New York, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true selves.
And then, one cold and windy night, their paths happen to meet. (more)
Why you should read it:
If you are a die-hard fan of beautifully constructed love stories, than jump right on and read this baby! The main characters are so very unique, and the story will keep you on edge and turning the pages because you simply cannot get enough of the plot.
Bottom line:
And then, one cold and windy night, their paths happen to meet. Tell me this line doesn't give you goosebumps of anticipation.
Blurb:
Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.
Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price. (more)
Why you should read it:
For those of you who are reluctant to step out of YA fiction, this piece of work is a great place to start. The writing style is not very different than that of YA. The plot of the book is very unique, and the mysterious element really reels you into a whole new world. And if you are not accustomed to reading about books that take place overseas, well, you should be worried. Books with Chinese or Japanese settings can be extremely beautifully crafted, and extremely addicting. After you read this, you will want more books with a similar setting, at which point I would recommend Three Souls by Janie Chang
Bottom line:
You will not be able to predict the ending. Or the romance (insert wink).
