What Are You Reading This Summer?

A vacation is never really a vacation unless I have a bewildering array of books to choose from. I enjoy summer not because I can lie on the beach, soaking up the sunshine, but because I can stay in--homework-free--and tackle the mountain of books awaiting to be read.

To take full advantage of all that summer has to offer, I have compiled a list of books I have or plan to read:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Make sure you have a box of Kleenex at your disposal. This contemporary love story is not for the faint of heart. Green's best-selling novel helps readers navigate the road of star-cursed romance and heartbreak. If you're looking to shed a few tears, this is the novel for you. In John Green's world, love is stronger than the untimely alignment of the stars.

2. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez: America is the land of promise, of opportunities and wealth. Or so we've been made to think. In Cristina Henriquez's novel the challenges of trekking to unforeseen land are explored. This novel brings forth a new definition of what it means to be an American.

3. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan: The talented Yale graduate who died in a tragic car crash left behind a treasure trove of writing that is meant to inspire younger generations. Marina's writing is witty, comical, and universal. Her fiction and nonfiction is imbued with the wisdom of a young woman learning what it means to be young, alive, and full of expectations.

4. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert: At age thirty-five, after moving with her husband to New York, Elizabeth realized that she wanted neither a child nor a husband. After a protracted divorce, she embarked on a yearlong trip across Italy, India, and Indonesia. Along the way, Elizabeth made three stops: Rome, for pleasure; Mumbai for spiritual reinforcement; and Bali for "balancing." Accompany Elizabeth on the journey through recovery and self-fulfillment, and be prepared to find adventure along the way.

5. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers: McCullers is the queen of freaks. While not a freak herself, McCullers made it her personal mission to give a voice to those who do not have one. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter  centers on John Singer, a deaf-mute who, despite his hearing impairment, becomes the confident of the town's losers. Touching and powerful, McCullers's characters stay in your mind indelibly.