Summer is officially here, and you need some good books in your life in order to properly beach it (or to properly tan in your back yard because, whatever). So, please, slowly back away from the TV and keep in mind that now you’re older, you’re going to need some form of brain stimulation, and no one has to force lame summer reading books on you. You have the ability to actually pick books that sound interesting to you! Please refer to the illustration below if you need further motivation to freaking read.
Ya feel me? Here’s what’s on my summer reading list:
Shades of Grey: A Novel by Jasper Fforde
Not to be confused with Fifty Shades of Grey (seeeesh). But, in Shades of Grey, your status in society is determined strictly by your limited color perception. Outstanding, right? The book focuses on one man, with a “better-than-average” red perception, trying to move up and all the obstacles he faces in doing so. I saw it on a list of books to read by BuzzFeed, and seeing as color perception is such a difficult subject to write on (have you ever tried to explain a sunset to someone who is colorblind?), it seems like a really interesting read.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
Confession. I watched all three seasons of The Mindy Project in an embarrassingly short amount of time (which may have led to my decision to buy all these books in the first place). I fell in love with it, hard and fast. Mindy Kaling as Dr. Mindy Lahiri is every woman who has ever struggled in their career; every woman who has ever desperately pursued a man who wasn’t right for her; every woman who has ever had impossible word vomit at the most inopportune times. And if this show could captivate me so completely, it’s safe to say a memoir by the creator should be just as entertaining.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
This best-selling book has been hailed as the next Gone Girl. Not that I ever read that book to begin with, but I saw the movie (because, Ben Affleck, duh), and as crazy and thrilling as that movie was, The Girl on the Train seems like a quality, slightly disturbing, female-driven thriller. It’s a story about a woman who’s life has systematically fallen apart so she sits on a train daily, usually in a drunken haze, to pass the time. Apparently, this woman witnesses something horrific on one ride, and not only has to try to convince others what she saw, but also herself. I could get into that.
Soften by Erin Elizabeth Wehrenberg
I’ve already started on this book. Soften is a collection of poetry, prose, thoughts and anecdotes from the unique mind of Erin Elizabeth Wehrenberg. A shift from her first 30-page book, her second book is over 500 pages that reads fairly quick. Erin challenges modern thinking and also reminds us that we’re all going through something, and no one is alone. It’s a refreshing, inspiring and thought-provoking read… at any given point a page may speak to you in ways you never knew words on paper could.
Okay– so there you have it. Happy reading!!
kcincleveland 
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