Summer is synonymous with turning the pages of a good book. If you ever feel like you have nothing to do during the summer, Pacers have some interesting and fun reads that might turn you into a reader. Whether it’s a romance novel or covers more serious topics, there’s likely a recommendation that will call your name.
The 2007 novel “Call Me by Your Name” by Andre Aciman takes place in a 1980s summer in Italy, where a summer romance sparks between Elio Perlman and a visiting American student Oliver. The main themes are exploring identity, heartbreak, maturity, intimacy and bittersweetness. I absolutely love this book because Aciman made the book really specific, and it’s really easy to imagine what everything might have looked like. He captures Italian culture, parties and trips around Europe. I recommend this book if you want to feel like you’re spending the summer in the Mediterranean.
“Child of My Heart” by Alice McDermott is a 2000 novel that focuses on a friendship between the 15-year old main character Theresa and her younger cousin in Long Island. Theresa explains the story of living in a difficult household while taking care of her cousin Daisy.
“The book takes place in summer and is nostalgic,” said sophomore Sam Marsh.
The main themes are about the experience of growing up and transitioning into womanhood.
“I would recommend it to teenage girls,” said Marsh.
“On the Jellicoe Road” is a 2006 novel by Melina Marchetta, taking place in Australia. It follows seventeen-year-old Taylor Lily Markham, who was abandoned as a child and grew up in a boarding school. She is distracted when she comes across new information about her own personal history.
“It’s a good read, because it ties the past and present together in the course of the book,” said junior Ava Willburn. “It keeps you engaged throughout the whole book.”
“The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath is a 1963 novel that follows Esther Greenwood, a bright college student who starts to experience a mental health crisis. The book explores societal pressure on women during the 1950s and the pursuit of ambition and success.
“I will read it during the summer, because it’s a complicated book and I want to read it to the fullest understanding I can get of the book,” said freshman Clara Schaff.
