Books for Summer
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
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Your Free! Congratulations! But what will you fill those long, sunny days with now that school is done? Well, if you have no plans and that summer homework doesn’t keep you busy enough than here are some books that should help fill those long summer days.
“The Little Stranger” by Sarah Waters
Astoundingly mesmerizing and even more astoundingly long this book is sure to keep you busy for quite a while. Dr. Faraday is called to Hundreds Hall, a house that used to be the grand and imposing home of the Ayres, and is now falling into disrepair, to examine a sick housemaid. After befriending the family, Dr. Faraday is invited back to the house several times. Soon Roderick, the eldest son, begins to have strange visions, and becomes panicked at something only he can see. Though at first the others think there is nothing to his ravings, the incidents begin to escalate and the family begins to suspect that there is something torturing Roderick besides his weak mind.
“The Bartimaeus Trilogy” by Jonathan Stroud
Nathaniel is an apprentice magician in London, learning the art of summoning and controlling daemons from his master, Arthur Underwood. Smart and ambitious, Nathaniel is frustrated with the slow pace of his education, devouring the books in his master’s library, as they taught him all the things his master wouldn’t. After a prominent man in the government humiliates Nathaniel while his master stands by, Nathaniel plans revenge. Using the knowledge gained from his books he summons a daemon named Bartimaeus.
Bartimaeus is an ancient djinni that has seen more of earth and human nature than he cares for. Centuries of service have left him with a sarcastic and morbid sense of humor, and a disgust for everything magician. Forced to obey Nathaniel by the terms of his summoning, Bartimaeus trails after the young magician on a trail of revenge, treachery and power.
“A is for Alibi” by Sue Grafton
“A is for Alibi” is the first book in the Kinsey Millhone series, and it might not hold your interest. After eight years in prison for the murder of her husband, Nikki Fife wants justice. She goes to the privet detective Kinsey Millhone to prove her innocence. Kinsey wants the paycheck, but doesn’t have high hopes on finding anything on the eight-years-cold trail. As she begins the investigation Kinsey starts to unearth more then she expected, and someone wants to make sure she stops.
“Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach
The book starts in a room filled with decapitated human heads. Plastic surgeons are going to use these heads to practice a delicate facelift procedure. From this point she discusses the respect Anatomy students show to their cadavers, and the unsavory history of dissection and experimental medicine (before practicing on cadavers it was customary to practice on live people, usually to poor to afford the operation any other way). Roach’s research is extensive and interesting. Besides dissection and medicine she talks about crash test cadavers who provide research that makes cars safer, the history of decapitation and how ancient humans used cadavers in medicine.
“Full Frontal Feminism” by Jessica Valenti
Summer is the perfect time to expand your mind and learn about something interesting, relevant and important. Abortion, the wage gap and maternity leave are all issues that Jessica Valenti addresses in her book “Full Frontal Feminism.” Valenti wrote a book that covers the feminist issues of our time, starting with the bias against the word “feminism.” Using evidence from several sources and comprehensive arguments Valenti exposes several of the challenges that women in America still face.
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