This article is meant to give you a little summer kick-off with five recommendations that can transport you to different worlds all from the comfort of your own home. While some people have the chance to travel during their summer vacations, if that’s not you, try these on for size and see where they take you. Read them with friends, or ask your parents to try them out, too, so you have someone to talk to when you’ve finished your reading. Or comment on this post, and we would be happy to talk books with you!
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. This fascinating look into the life of a boy whose differences from others in his life make it difficult for him to connect, follows Christopher as he attempts to solve the mystery of a dead dog in his neighborhood. His investigation will lead him to explore the neighborhood, the world around him, and even his own mother’s death, in a way that challenges everything he thought he knew about the world. But it’s only by overcoming his own fears that he can solve the mystery.
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, a fantasy for anyone who loves Harry Potter and is looking for a more grown-up story. When young businessman Richard Mayhew comes across a bleeding girl on the street, his life will never be the same again. The girl, Door, plunges Richard into a dangerous and magical world just underneath the surface of London, where Richard embarks on the adventure of his life, the consequences of his kindness may be more than he can bear.
3. The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee. In this sprawling saga set in 1960’s Calcutta, a once-wealthy Bengali family is falling apart at the seams as one of their members becomes involved with the Naxalites and their fortunes crumple. A stunning and ambitious work chronicling an amazing time in India’s history.
4. Euphoria by Lily King, a story loosely based on the real life of Anthropologist Margaret Mead. This novel tells the story of three young anthropologists in 1930s New Guinea. Their three-way relationship is complex and involving, but even more fascinating is the depiction of three anthropologists with three entirely diverse ways of studying another culture.These differences, along with professional jealousy and sexual tension, propel the story toward its inevitable yet stunning conclusion.
5. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, a coming of age novel from one of the best authors of the 20th and 21st centuries, this story follows two young sweethearts as they meet and struggle through their romance in college. Toru tries to navigate his best friend’s death with the help of Naoko, but her own mental issues prevent their relationship. A beautiful reflection on love, loss, and youth, this novel transports the reader to another time, place, and state of mind.