The Casual Vacancy, a great summer read!
Courtesy of wikipedia
With impending finals, the only thing on most students’ brains is summer vacation, a reprieve from the constraints of schoolwork and classes. But once the boredom of summer sets in, the moments away from the pool, the beach and barbeques, it is nice to have some things to whittle away the time.
As an English major, reading consumes a great portion of my time. But over the summer, the majority of my time is devoted to reading the books that I have not been able to keep up with during the school year.
To start, some of the books that have come out in the past year with promise and good reviews should be considered. J.K. Rowling wrote her first adult novel, The Casual Vacancy that intertwines the stories of a variety of people living in the same small English town. Documenting the town’s reaction following the death of a councilman, secrets are revealed regarding the skeletons that live in everyone’s closets.
In order to keep up with summer movies, a rereading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby may be in order. It is always enjoyable to be able to see stories reenacted on the big screen, but sometimes a comparison between the original story can boost the experience.
Summer beach reads are always the hottest commodity and the most wanted.
For freshmen who have just made some great friends, and seniors who are soon leaving the friends they have grown so close to, Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan is a story about long-lasting and unexpected friendship that portrays the multifaceted nature of college relationships.
Some of the more anticipated books of the summer are Transatlantic by Colum McCann, In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell, and Clare of the Sea-Light by Edwidge Danticat.
A full list of the year’s most anticipated books, by month, can be found at The Millions website.
All in all, the one important thing to remember is that summer lends a lot of free time to doing what we want.
It is important, however, to use the time wisely. Why not use some of it to forget your troubles and immerse yourself in a good book that, for once, you don’t have to read for school?
