Summer Reading

I just moved back to Los Angeles after a summer split between LA and Colorado. Luckily, I was able to get some good reading in - some for class and some for my own enjoyment. Here are all the books I read and loved this summer!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This book has been on my to-read list for years. I am a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell's other books - Eleanor & Park and Attachments. I found Fangirl in a little free library near my house. It was a sweet coming-of-age narrative following a college freshman in Nebraska. Since I have worked with first year students for two years, it hit the spot, and reminded me why I am excited to be moving to Upper Division RA life.

      

 Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl

After my mom had me read Philippa Gregory's Lady of the Rivers, I realized she is a noted historical fiction author who writes specifically about women in the royal families of England. I then devoured The Constant Princess and The Other Boleyn Girl, books recommended to me years ago that I never picked up.

Shame is an Ocean I Swim Across by Mary Lambert

Known for her voiceover in Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's song "Same Love," Mary Lambert explores her trauma and identity in this poetry book. Not for the faint of heart, her gruesome and visceral words describe deep suffering, and yet her frankness is still refreshing and hopeful.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

After reading The Bluest Eye for my summer English class, I cracked open this old copy of Song of Solomon. Both explore racism in America by chronicling the lives of characters who encounter struggles because of the structures of oppression. I am saddened by the death of Toni Morrison, who I only just discovered. I love her simple writing style - she describes things exactly as they are.

        

Dogs & Water by Anders Nilsen

This minimalistic graphic novel is quite depressing. Nilsen depicts a post-apocalyptic wasteland in which humans mean danger and the main character spends most of his time in a dream state. I do not think I would recommend this book, but it was a nice change from my usual genre.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I reread this book for my summer class, and I found it as despairing as the first time I read it. Similar to Dogs & Water, The Road takes a minimalistic approach to a post-apocalyptic world. I personally do not like this genre, but McCarthy masterfully captures the dangers of a post-apocalyptic society.

            

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

A strange and ethereal book, The Alchemist captures a fantastical journey. Fans of The Little Prince often like this book. Although I enjoyed the story, I could not help but find the book's message to be a bit juvenile.

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

Perhaps my favorite book of the summer, Fugitive Pieces delves into the intertwining stories of people affected by the Holocaust. Michaels spends a lot of the book dwelling on the way unspoken matter affects relationships and how ghosts of the past can haunt the future. I wrote my ten page final paper on this book for my class, and I loved discovering the layers of the story. Also a poet, Michaels' language just takes me to another place.

Ciento and Emplumada by Lorna Dee Cervantes

These two poetry books fulfilled my love of poetry and the Spanish language. I adored the brazen style of Cervantes, and I am always excited to read poetry in Spanish. She writes transitions between Spanish and English, making her poetry come alive with movement.

As I transition toward my senior year of college, I find myself daunted by the possibility of not having reading lists for class, and I think a lot about how I must keep myself reading even when I leave school. Hopefully, I will have even more time to choose books I want to read. This summer, I enjoyed having the opportunity to read some books that sat on my reading list for years.