The busy schedules and stress that comes during the school year makes it especially nice to have some free time during the summer. Various students and faculty have shared their plans for kicking back with a good book and have given the titles of books they recommend.
Fiction
“Poldark series” by Winston Graham (Historical Fiction)
Recommended by Sarah Lehman, assistant professor of biology
“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro (Science Fiction/Psychological)
“The plot is so unique and surprising,” said Claire Myree, English and communication major. “You literally won’t be able to put it down!”
“Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn (Mystery/Thriller)
Recommended by Audrey Hazelton, sophomore Psychology and Writing major.
The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski (Fantasy)
“Red, White, and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston (Romance/LGBTQ+ Fiction)
Recommended by Alex Rose, junior music performance major.
“Death on the Nile” by Agatha Christie (Mystery)
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer (Collection of stories/Historical Fantasy)
“Till We Have Faces” by C.S. Lewis (Fantasy)
“Out of the Silent Planet” by C.S. Lewis (Science Fiction)
Recommended by Olivia Hattery, sophomore Arts and Writing major.
“If it Bleeds” by Stephen King (Collection of novellas/Horror)
“It drew me in with the title and being a convergent media major due to the saying, ‘if it bleeds, it leads’,” said Lou Wescott, sophomore convergent media major. “I thought it was pretty good and it was actually one of the first few stories by King that I have read.”
“Hummingbird Salamander” by Jeff Vandermeer (Mystery/Thriller/Science Fiction)
Body of Stars by Laura Maylene Walter (Dystopian)
“Road out of Winter” by Alison Stine (Science Fiction/Dystopian Thriller)
“I recently finished Body of Stars, the first novel by my friend Laura Maylene Walter—it’s about a society where the markings on women’s bodies predict the future,” said Jeff Gundy, professor of English. “Fascinating characters and a solid dollop of the best sort of feminism.”
“The House of the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune (Fantasy/LGBTQ+)
“It’s a charming fantasy novel about the true horrors of bureaucracy, found family, and magic,” said Tobias Buckell, instructor of English.
A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas (Fantasy)
“This is my favorite book series,” said Emma Payne, sophomore exercise science major. “It’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it’s really addicting. It’s not only a major plot twister, but it also deals with topics like mental health.”
Graphic Novels
Alex Rose, junior music performance major, recommends Vox Machina Origins series by Matthew Mercer and Matthew Colville.
Vox Machina Origins series by Matthew Mercer and Matthew Colville
The Adventure Zone Saga by Carey Pietsch
“Both of these contain queer characters, which means a lot to me,” said Alex Rose.
Nonfiction
“Jesus Feminist” by Sarah Bessey (Christian Literature)
Recommended by Sarah Lehman, assistant professor of biology
“They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us” by Hanif Abdurraqib (Essay Collection)
“The stories in this collection are very real,” said Colten McCabe, senior English and writing major. “I agree with a lot of what Hanif writes about, and I enjoy that there is a good deal of music references throughout.”
“In a Different Voice” by Carol Gillian (Gender studies)
“This book is both interesting and factual, so you can learn and have fun at the same time,” said Audrey Hazelton, sophomore English major.
