10 Books for Summer Reading if You Haven't Read Them Yet

Reading is extremely good for your mind, and so for you.  It's fundamental!  Education is the key to freedom.  Imagination widens the horizons of possibility.  According to Lifehack.org, reading reduces stress, expands the vocabulary, improves memory and concentration, and strengthens analytical thinking skills.  Summer isn't quite over yet, so if there's a good time to start reading again, it's now!

We all know the hardest part is finding a book to read, so I've compiled a list of books you might try.  Mostly, I've picked classics.  Nobody likes to be the person who hasn't read them!  Classics are classics for a reason – they are either very enjoyable, or very thought provoking, or both!  These are in no particular order.  Try a few, and see what strikes you.

1. Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
   
   
   Famed mystery stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Sherlock Holmes is a private consultant detective and, together with his good friend Dr. Watson, solves many baffling cases.  Holmes has been portrayed in movies and shows many times – even parodied in "The Great Mouse Detective" – and the original stories do not disappoint.  Readers may be surprised and have fun comparing the details they know with the classic tales, and find themselves enlightened to detail.
   
   
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
   
   
   You've heard about it, you have seen a movie based on it, but have you read it?  Definitely a book that will not please all readers, but well worth digesting.  Nearly all the characters are of questionable disposition, and a good reader will reflect on human nature.  The almost comedic tragedy of this novel is partly infuriating, partly baffling; in the end, what should have been done?  What could have been done?
   
   Goodreads.com says:
   
   Wuthering Heights is a wild, passionate story of the intense and almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father. After Mr Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is bullied and humiliated by Catherine's brother Hindley and wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return years later as a wealthy and polished man. He proceeds to exact a terrible revenge for his former miseries. The action of the story is chaotic and unremittingly violent, but the accomplished handling of a complex structure, the evocative descriptions of the lonely moorland setting and the poetic grandeur of vision combine to make this unique novel a masterpiece of English literature.
   
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
   
   
   That's right!  This is a mere children's book but if you haven't read it, you may be astonished!  It's short and simple, so if you're afraid to commit, try this one on for size.  It is still worth plenty of consideration and reflection.  Critics and academics pour over Carroll's world with confusion, but there is always the possibility that the simplicity of a child's dreamland is all that lies in the pages there.  What is the value for adult readers?  Well, find out.
   
   
   
4. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
   
   That's right, another children's book.  If you haven't read them, however, they are well worth your time.  The mystical and theological themes in the book just may enchant you.  And even if you object to religion, you can still have a wonderful adventure.  From before the Pevensie children to the end of the kings and queens, these novels will take you on wonderful adventures, in the prose style so many already love.
   
   
   
5. Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
   
   This short non-fiction book will awaken corners of your heart that have been sleeping far too long.  Victor Frankl had a chance to escape to America with his wife, but chose to remain behind with his parents.  Before it was all over, he had lost all his family, but he may astonish you with his reflections on man and the meaning of life.  Victor Frankl briefly recounts his experiences in concentration camps and then explains his theory, known as logotherapy.  Man needs to strive for something meaningful, he says – it isn't pleasure that will get him through the hard times.  This book is tough to take but could change your life.
   
   
   
6. Jane Austen
   
   Some people really cannot stand Jane Austen, but you have a few novels to choose from.  Pride and Prejudice may be the most popular one and some consider it the most interesting.  Some think Emma is too slow.  Sense and Sensibility is a favorite, and Persuasion has a very satisfying ending.  And of course there are more.  If you have tried to read these before but struggled to get into it, consider listening to the audio book instead and reward yourself with the movie adaptation afterward.
   
   
   
7. Hamlet or Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare
   
   Shakespeare stumps many readers as his language is ancient and much of his stage direction is hidden in the lines he gives his characters.  But listening to a dramatized audio version often does the trick, or perhaps watching a really good film adaptation.  Try Hamlet – it's popular for a reason – or Much Ado About Nothing, which is very good fun.  There are many films for both and Kenneth Branagh is a popular choice for the star; however, you might also try the adaptions starring David Tennant.
   
   
   
8. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
   
   In this increasingly popular story, a creature called a hobbit and a company of dwarves set on a journey to reclaim a mountain from a dragon and restore it to the rightful heir.  With the movie trilogy soon wrapping up, it would only be fair to read the original tale if you haven't already.  If you have already seen the movies, you may find the novel much more charming and enchanting (and even unfamiliar).  A much gentler read than The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this could easily enchant a child but captures the fascination of any age.
   
   
   
9. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
   
   Another simple book but worth the read.  And is it as simple as it appears?  Many of the escapades of Tom Sawyer are humorous, but Twain contrasts Tom and his friends against the lives that the adults spin in anxiety.  Concerns and prejudices of the typical adult are brought into such question that they are fairly scorned, and maybe for good reason.  Mark Twain masterfully weaves the whimsy of his Tom Sawyer stories with the weight of great trouble.  Of course, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is another of his great novels.
   
   
   
10. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
    
    "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."  Hitchcock directed a film starring Laurence Olivier in 1940 based on this suspenseful novel, and both movie and novel are excellent.  The poor and orphaned heroine meets an older well-off gentleman, and the two fall in love.  She can't believe her good fortune when he asks her to marry him!  But soon the ghost of his mysterious previous wife seems to be haunting their marriage and her life falls apart around her.  Feeling terribly inadequate to fill the late Mrs. de Winter's shoes and antagonized by the housekeeper, she feels increasingly compelled to learn the secret of this woman.  But it is all downhill from there.  Pay close attention and you might notice a special detail about this special character.

Of course there are many, many more good books to be read, but this might help you get started.  If you don't have the time or inclination to sit down and read a book, try audiobooks!  You can check them out at the library or download them on your computer or smartphone, and you can even find free recordings of some books online.

I highly recommend Goodreads.com.*  All of the books in the above list are linked to that site, and once you create an account with your Facebook or email address, you can make a list of books you've read in the past, are currently reading, and would like to read in the future; browse titles; set a reading goal for the year; and more.  It might help you feel organized and get motivated.

Enjoy and digest carefully!

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