If you’re like me, then at this halfway point of the summer, you’re starting to run out of things to do. You’ve caught up on those TV episodes you missed because of school. You’ve cleaned your apartment. You’ve even hung out a few times with your friends that stayed in town. But not having classes to worry about frees up some of your day, even if you do have a summer job, so what can you do to fill the extra time? My usual fallback is reading. So here’s a list of five books you could read this summer to kill some time.
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
The author of “The Girl on the Train” is back this summer with a new psychological mystery. When a single mother is found dead in a river, the same river in which a teenage girl was found dead a couple months earlier, her fifteen-year-old daughter is left in the care of an aunt she barely knows and who never wanted to return home. As the mystery unfolds, the secrets of the river and its history come to the surface.
“Into the Water” is available on Amazon for $16.72.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
If you don’t have a Hulu subscription, or don’t want to pay for one, but you want to know what all the buzz surrounding “The Handmaid’s Tale” is about, you’re in luck. The show is based off a 1985 dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood which is set in the Republic of Gilead, a military dictatorship formed in what used to be the United States, a society where human rights, particularly women’s rights, are severely limited. The main character, Offred, is one of the handmaids, a class of women indoctrinated for reproductive purposes. In a time where an underground resistance against the government is growing, Offred will discover her independence and individuality as she decides whether to stick to the status quo or join the resistance.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is available on Amazon for $8.69.
Camino Island by John Grisham
When priceless F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts are stolen from Princeton University, the best lead is Bruce Cable, the owner of a rare books store on Camino Island, Florida who also deals in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts. Meanwhile, young novelist Mercer Mann is approached by a mysterious organization to get close to Cable to see if he’s connected to the heist or knows anything about the stolen books. When she gets a little too close to the truth, that’s when trouble comes to the Florida island in this current number one New York Times Bestseller.
“Camino Island” is available on Amazon for $17.35.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Did you just leave “Wonder Woman” wanting more stories about badass women from The Great War? Kate Quinn’s got you covered with her new historical fiction novel, “The Alice Network.” The novel combines two parallel tales. The first follows the WWI exploits of Eve Gardiner a female spy recruited into the Alice Network (which was a real thing) in France in 1915 where she trains under the “Queen of Spies” Lili, who manages a network of secrets agents in the enemy-occupied country. The second is in 1947, following American college student Charlie St. Clair who is pregnant, unmarried and close to being kicked out by her parents. When her parents send her off to Europe, Charlie goes rogue to try and find her cousin Rose who disappeared in France during the war. She turns for help to Alice Network spy, Eve, who somehow knew Rose and is just as determined to find the truth as Charlie is.
“The Alice Network” is available on Amazon for $11.32.
Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Let’s be honest, we are all still Bill Nye kids on some level. Science is cool, but complicated, so let Neil deGrasse Tyson break it down for you. From the nature of space and time, to the Big Bang, black holes and aliens, Tyson will give you the lowdown on everything you need to know to understand the next big science news headlines. So when your internet goes out and you can’t watch Bill Nye on Netflix, pick up Tyson’s book and get your science fix.
“Astrophysics For People In A Hurry” is available on Amazon for $11.35
