With about a month to go before classes start up again, time is running out to catch up on all of the books you’ve been wanting to read this summer!
However, you’re anything like me, you find yourself with too many books you want to read during the school year when you have no time, and with not enough books you want to read when you actually have time.
Therefore, following up on our last summer book list (and our list of general book recs for college students), today I have four more book recommendations, tailored to different personalities. Read on to check them out!
Table of Contents
If #Effyourbeautystandards is Your Fave Hashtag: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk:
Invisible Monsters is the story of Shannon McFarland, a gorgeous model with the perfect boyfriend, a jealous best friend, and…a face that’s been mutilated beyond repair.
The story jumps back and forth between scenes to follow her journey from her normal, old life to her new one with Brandy Alexander, a drug popping model addicted to plastic surgery, as they come to terms with who they are, who they want to be, and how much their looks figure into that equation.
Palahniuk, author of award winning novel Fight Club, is known for his works that challenge societal expectations, and this satirical look at the beauty industry is no exception.
This is definitely a darker novel than what we’d usually recommend here, but the story is addicting and inspiring enough to be worth the read. Invisible Monsters makes readers question what we let define us, and if those things are really as important as we think they are.
If You Loved “Wicked”: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
The School for Good and Evil is set in a universe where two children per village are kidnapped every year to be trained either to be a hero or a villain. So, naturally, everyone knows where Sophie (the pretty blonde with a fondness for dresses and moisturizer) and Agatha (the black haired, sickly girl who lives in a graveyard) will end up.
However, no one is more surprised than our main characters when Sophie is dropped off at the School of Evil and when Agatha wakes up in the School of Good.
This fairy tale satire exposes society’s connection between physical good looks and our perceptions of the goodness within. I highly recommend it!
If You Have Big Dreams: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Hidden Figures was selected as West Virginia University’s annual campus read, and I couldn’t be happier that it was picked.
If you loved the recent movie adaptation as much as I did (which is a lot), you won’t be able to put down the book it was based on.
The book is full of details and people that the movie didn’t have time to cover, from the amount of forgotten black women who worked at NASA (more than 50 before from 1943 to 1980) to how NASA’s missions were perceived by the black community.
This book still follows Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson, but it also includes all the facts you’ll need to feel satisfied learning about these amazing women — and how their abilities made them necessary to NASA’s success.
If You’re Always Watching Dateline: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Again, this is a dark one, but it’s so addictive that I had to include it. I’m not usually one for true crime books, but I was powerless to stop reading In Cold Blood – Capote’s writing style draws the readers into the story and doesn’t let go.
Every moment is captured perfectly, from the horror of finding an entire family murdered in an otherwise peaceful, quiet town to the fear that comes with the townspeople believing it must have been one of their own.
Interlaced with the story of the town and victims are segments from the killers’ point of view—details Capote himself gathered from numerous interviews he conducted with them before their execution.
Again, this is a darker read, but if you’re looking for a book that will suck you in, this is one for you.
What Do You Think of These Books? Are You Reading Anything Else This Summer?
Tell us in the comments!