With your textbooks laid to rest for the summer, it is a great time for you to catch up on some reading. Reading is a great way to relax and keep your mind active while you unwind over the summer months. If you are looking for a bit of inspiration, here are some of MyTutor’s top ‘summer reads’.
Although The Graduate may have been popularised in 1968 by the Dustin Hoffman film, it is a classic in its own right. It tells the story of Benjamin Braddock, a recent graduate gripped by fear of the future. He is back at his parents’ house and trying to avoid the one question everyone keeps asking: ‘What does he want to do with his life?’ An unexpected diversion crops up when he is seduced by Mrs. Robinson, a bored older housewife and friend of his parents. What begins as a fun tryst, soon becomes complicated…
The Fever has been hailed as the new Gone Girl. It is the story of how the lives of three teenage girls change when their friends are suddenly struck down by unexplained seizures. Panic and rumour run riot. Is it caused by an airborne virus? A reaction to the HPV vaccination? Maybe it is all a case of mass hysteria. The real question becomes whether the authorities are taking it seriously or just attempting to cover something up…
This book tells the tale of 5 doomed sisters who are stifled by their overprotective parents. It is a nostalgic novel set in a small American town during a long, hazy summer in the 1970’s. Told from the perspective of an anonymous group of teenage boys who are still obsessed with the sisters 20 years on from their deaths. As men, they now try to find explanations for the girls’ tragic actions…
The Winslow’s have it all: talent, money and looks. Their charming façade brings in a host of accomplished friends who all summer together in Manhattan, the Hamptons and Rome. Everything changes when they meet Claire, a wonderfully naïve woman who cannot help but fall in love with their lifestyle. As Claire involves herself in their lives more and more, she becomes no longer content with being a hanger-on…
A story about a dysfunctional American family is certainly not something new. However, Franzan’s original take on the subject matter makes it a seminal one. Freedom follows members of the Berglunds’ family and their close friends, as their complex lives and relationships play out over many years. The book begins in the late 20th century and runs up to the election of Barack Obama as president. It is a story of lies, deceit and betrayal, but also one of abiding love and patience in the face of adversity.
What are your favourite books to read on long summer days? Tweet your suggestions to @mytutorweb.