With finals over and summer starting, it’s a great time to catch up on reading that’s not from a textbook. Here are some fiction choices for those who want to relax with a good book or just read something without having to analyze it. (No pop quiz will be given.)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Part ghost story, part romance, part murder mystery, this is Jane Eyre set in the Downton Abbey castle. When the narrator falls in love with aristocratic Maxim de Winter, she has to deal with his family, his vicious staff, and his deepest secrets.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
A Spanish shepherd begins a journey to find a great treasure, meeting a series of people in the process. Santiago has never left his country, until he decides to follow his dreams (literally) and go in search of adventure and wealth.
The One & Only by Emily Giffin
Journalism, college football, and small-town loyalty collide in a novel from the author of Something Borrowed. After the death of a close family friend, aspiring journalist and football-fanatic Shea Rigsby begins to seek a more satisfying life for herself.
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
A budding writer investigates secrets, high society, and (more than one) scandal in 1960s NYC. Witty and bright Vivian Schulyer must find out what her family is hiding when a suitcase is delivered for a mysterious, unknown aunt she never knew about.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
A girl attempts to keep everything—her family, her grades, and her fan fiction—together as she goes through her freshman year of college. She also copes with anxiety issues, a harsh professor, and a potential boyfriend, if everything else wasn’t enough.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
In a world where words are illegal and everyone wants a child, one woman must navigate her way through the secrecy and espionage of a dystopian society. As the surrogate to a wealthy officer and his wife, she must do anything she can to save herself—even if it comes at a price.
The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Based on true events, this novel follows a girl growing up during the Salem Witch Trials. Sarah Carrier must keep her family safe after her mother is accused of witchcraft, and nothing is ever the same again.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Two magicians are forced to compete with each other as they create a fantastical circus and fight their attraction to each other. While Celia and Marco grow closer, their circus grows even more astounding—and the stakes grow even higher.
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
After a commoner marries a king, she must use her power as queen to keep England safe as the War of the Roses rages around her family. As daughter of a disgraced countess, Elizabeth Woodville was never supposed to fall in love with King of the opposite house—and now she has to fight to keep her power in a treacherous court.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
In the first book of this sci-fi series, a girl is recruited by a resistance movement who wants to use her supernatural powers. Juliette Ferrars has grown up believing that she can’t touch people or they will be harmed. Now she has to harness her abilities and turn them into something good.
Classes will start up again in just a few months, so now is the time to read a book for pleasure—not essay points. Enjoy a novel from the list above, or get started on the pile of books that’s been on your shelf since February. Happy reading!
