Critics Say You Should Add These Books to Your Summer Reading List
Summer's the perfect time to catch up on your reading. Whether you're relaxing in the park, going on a road trip or just chilling at home, there are plenty of opportunities to prop open a book. So if you're looking for great literature to keep you company while you're basking under the sun, then read on.
1. The Girls - Emma Kline
This novel by Emma Cline was referred to by The New York Times as "the debut novel that the publishing world can’t stop talking about." Set in Northern California during the 1960s, it is a dark coming-of-age story about a lonely girl named Evie Boyd who was drawn into an infamous cult. Prepare to be disturbed. Pick up a copy at Barnes and Noble.
2. Modern Lovers - Emma Straub
Modern Lovers is a highly entertaining novel about a tight-knit group of friends from college who are now sending their own kids to college. It deals with what it's really like to grow up and how love and relationships work. The Examiner noted it as "a coming of age story for the parents and children alike, each of who grows up during the course of the novel... Straub treats her characters with a rare good humor and affection, which is what makes Modern Lovers such an entertaining, yet affecting, story." Get a copy from Amazon.
3. Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
If you're interested in history and geography, this novel is right up in your alley. It is about two sisters who were never allowed to know each other, both of them leading completely separate and drastically different lives. The first was married to an Englishman and living a lavish life, while the other one was sold into slavery. Author Phil Clay described it as "a novel at once epic and intimate, capturing the moral weight of history as it bears down on individual struggles, hopes, and fears." You can grab a copy at Amazon.
4. Barkskins - Annie Proulx
Award-winning author of Brokeback Mountain Annie Proulx came out with yet another epic novel after 14 years. It follows two penniless young Frenchmen who travelled to North America to become wood-cutters or "barkskins" that last generations. The story spans 320 years, 5 continents and multiple generations of two families. Jim Carmin of Minneapolis Star Tribune described it as "stunning, monumental... a moving opus of evolving Western environmental values in novel form." You can buy a copy at Simon & Schuster.
5. The Nest - Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
A debut novel by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, it revolves around the dysfunctionalPlumb family. It's a story about four siblings and the fate of their shared inheritance in which they call The Nest. It's about the power of family, friendship and how we rely on each other as well as bring each other down. The Los Angeles Times referred to it as "an addictive, poignant read with an enticing premise." You can purchase a copy of this book at Barnes and Noble.
