It's the start of summer and there is no better time to pick up a new book (or ten). We're looking forward to reading on planes, on the beach, or just curled up on the couch—and we hope you'll join us!
Reading is not only one of the best ways to improve your SAT or ACT Verbal score, but many colleges also ask about the books you’re reading as part of your applications or interviews.
Our team compiled a list of our current favorite books for you to check out, from heart-pounding true stories to fantastical fiction to thought-provoking studies of plants, psychology, and design. We're pretty sure at least a couple of these stories are ones you won't be able to put down.
Happy reading!
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
by Hank Green
Sigrid recommends this book because: "It is absolutely my favorite book that I read this year. It strikes that sweet spot of being easy to read (and totally a book you can bring to the beach) while also sparking new thoughts and perspectives. I had a blast reading it and then had great conversations about the topics it brings up.”
Summary: Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship, April and her best friend make a video with it and upload it to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now must face the consequences her newfound fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity.
Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir
Cari recommends this book because: “Easily the best book I've read this year, Project Hail Mary is a real nerdy space novel about a science teacher named Ryland Grace. Basic? No. Boring? Absolutely not! It takes place in the present with Ryland’s current events punctuated by returning memories that together help both him and the reader answer why the novel opens with him alone in space being cared for by a computer. It's also—most importantly in my opinion—a whole-hearted description of the strongest literary friendship ever.”
Summary: Three words: SPACE. ALIENS. BROS.
Manhattan Beach
by Jennifer Egan
Gretchen recommends this book because: “I only JUST started this book and I’m already captivated by the characters, and the writing is beautiful. I can't wait to finish my lessons tonight so that I can keep reading!”
Summary: Set mostly in Brooklyn during the Great Depression and World War II, the novel follows Anna, a girl in her late teens working in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Anna beats the odds and the prejudices of her co-workers to become the only woman diver doing repairs on ships. Breaking with the role of women in her era, she gains respect using her grit and determination. This book has it all, from very intriguing characters to family drama to some shady business lurking around every corner.
Braiding Sweetgrass
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Jacqueline recommends this book because: “Many people can speak to either non-Western traditions or Western science, but often "science" is used to dismiss other traditions, which I find frustrating because I value both. Kimmerer is uniquely qualified to address the two at the same time, speaking eloquently about their differing perspectives and the places where Western scientific frameworks fall short. As one example, it really evolved my understanding of humans' interdependence with our environment.”
Summary: The author is a botanist with a PhD in plant ecology and is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She blends her scientific background and Indigenous heritage by sharing personal anecdotes from her past, traditional Native philosophies, and her experiences as a scientist, often comparing the frameworks of Indigenous vs. Western scientific knowledge.
The Curse of Oak Island
by Randall Sullivan
Micah recommends this book because: “It's a fascinating mystery with many historical connections and an entertaining narrative.”
Summary: In 1795, a teenager discovered a mysterious circular depression in the ground on Oak Island, in Nova Scotia, Canada, and ignited rumors of buried treasure. Early excavators uncovered a clay-lined shaft containing layers of soil and wooden platforms, but when they reached a depth of ninety feet, water poured into the shaft and made further digging impossible. The search has continued for 225 years. The Curse of Oak Island is a fascinating account of the strange, rich history of the island and the intrepid treasure hunters who have driven themselves to financial ruin, psychotic breakdowns, and even death in pursuit of answers.
Lemon
by Kwon Yeo-sun
Cari recommends this book because: “This short book stuck with me. I actually listened to it on a cross-country road trip in early 2022 and was unable to forget the story, eventually suggesting it to my book club to read and discuss. Part of the weight I feel is likely because I haven't before read a book translated into English from Korean, and part is because the dialogue captured me in its honest transparency. I hadn't read characters quite like this before. It also left me with more questions than answers which is both infuriating and exhilarating all at once.”
Summary: Lemon follows the aftermath of a high school murder through the first-person narrative of those most affected by it.
The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain
by Annie Murphy Paul
Andrew recommends this book because: “Annie Murphy Paul makes complex scientific ideas easy to follow. For students who like "self-help" or "pop psychology" genre books, I'd recommend they read this rigorous yet readable book. Several ideas are directly applicable to students' lives: not just getting outside, but also learning in school and university settings and how we use technology to enhance our daily lives.”
Summary: Remember the "touch grass" meme from a year ago? Well, this book draws on recent research in cognitive science and education to argue that there is, in fact, value to getting outside our own heads and devices. The brain isn't a computer; it's a bodily organ that gets shaped by environmental factors like how we move our bodies, who we spend time with, and yes, even spending time in nature.
Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted
by Suleika Jaouad
Erika recommends this book because: “Between Two Kingdoms was recommended to me during COVID and it was quite a fitting moment to read it. Suleika's story was an inspiring reminder of how important it is when faced with challenges—health or otherwise—that feel insurmountable, to seek meaning, connection, and purpose with people around you. Such a beautiful book!”
Summary: A searing, deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery that traces one young woman’s journey from cancer diagnosis to remission and, ultimately, a road trip of healing and self-discovery.
The Impossible Girl
by Lydia Kang
Olivia recommends this book because: “It drew me in right from the very first page. Cora (aka the impossible girl) is strong and self-assured, and harbors a dangerous secret that could get her killed at any moment. She is immediately both fascinating and relatable, and the characters that surround her are equally intriguing.
Summary: Grave robbing, dissections, poison, and a deadly rumor about a girl with two hearts. What more could you want? Lydia Kang, a doctor from the NYU School of Medicine, delves into the underworld of 1850s New York and the troubling methods that were used to procure bodies both for study and for display at curio museums.
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
by John Carreyrou
Micah recommends this book because: “It's a great book for any students interested in studying business or entrepreneurship and it's a very fun, fascinating read.”
Summary: The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of Theranos, the one-time multibillion-dollar biotech startup founded by Elizabeth Holmes, written by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end.
Interior Chinatown
by Charles Yu
Adam recommends this book because: “It’s incredibly inventive and entertaining. We come to understand the story of Willis slowly—he's an actor in a fictional police procedural (like Law & Order), but the story is really a large-scale metaphor for how Asians are so often typecast into certain roles in American society. It's funny, heart-wrenching and illuminating throughout.”
Summary: A fantastical, quasi-realistic story of a young Asian man trying to break out of the stereotypical role in which he is always cast—and the story is told through the form of a screenplay.
Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
by Ben Mezrich
Amy recommends this book because: “This book perfectly exemplifies a page-turner: it's exciting, fascinating, at times illicit, involves both math and Vegas—what more could you ask for?”
Summary: This is the true story of the most successful scam ever, in which teams of brilliant young MIT mathematicians and physicists won millions of dollars from the casinos of Las Vegas, being drawn in the process into the high-roller life of drugs, parties, and money, money, money.
The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Kel recommends this book because: “It has a unique blend of style and substance. The book is beautifully written but easy to read; rich in cultural history but still imaginative, fantastical, and strange.”
Summary: When Daniel, the son of a bookkeeper in Barcelona, discovers a book called "The Shadow of the Wind" in his father's collection of banned books, he unknowingly embarks upon an epic journey to discover what happened to the novel's mysterious, missing author.
Miss Benson’s Beetle
by Rachel Joyce
Kim recommends this book because: “Filled with friendship, secrets, and an extraordinary quest, this fascinating, creative, and bizarre story had me entertained and intrigued with every twist. I laughed out loud many times, cried in the end, and wished that this book would go on forever because I didn't want it to end. I feel like I can typically guess where most authors will take a book, and the ending of this one was absolutely not what I expected. A truly great summer read.”
Summary: In London in 1950, Margery Benson, a schoolteacher surviving on scraps, reaches her breaking point. She abandons her job to set out on an expedition in search of her childhood obsession: an insect that may or may not exist—the golden beetle of New Caledonia. She advertises for an assistant and ends up with fun-loving Enid Pretty, who seems to attract trouble wherever she goes. Together they embark on an adventure that delivers something neither of them expected to find: the transformative power of friendship.
The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design
by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt
Chris recommends this book because: “I LOVE listening to the podcast 99% Invisible—it explains how the world around us shapes our experiences. So picking up this book was a no-brainer! The book continues examining the design choices that affect our daily lives. Once we pause to consider those choices, we start to see the world differently and realize how design affects us every day.”
Summary: Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt of the 99% Invisible podcast explore the design elements of the built world. They discuss all the design that goes into the things we don’t think about—from curb cuts to windows to air conditioning.
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
by Suzanne Simard
Roger recommends this book because: “Because it is badass. Beautifully written life story with some down and dirty scientific genius on top.”
Summary: Suzanne Simard is a genius. She has worked tirelessly to convince logging companies to rethink their clearcutting and re-planting strategies over the years. This book details the wildly inventive experiments that she personally designed and implemented to prove that mother trees (large, old-growth trees) actually give nutrients to surrounding baby trees via an elaborate network of mychorrhizal fungi. She also proved that mother trees favor their own offspring more than the other species nearby. This is some real-life Avatar forest stuff. There is also a whole backstory about her married life, kids, and subsequent girlfriend that other people might enjoy focusing on.
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Micah recommends this book because: “This short read is, in my opinion, the greatest American novel of all time. Gatsby's story is as relevant today as it was when it was written, because it explores universal themes—human follies, the hopelessness of societal constructs, and man's struggle with time and fate.”
Summary: Set in the 1920s Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown
Olivia recommends this book because: “I still think about this story even though I read it almost 5 years ago. It blends compelling personal hardships with adrenaline-filled races that will captivate you even if you know nothing at all about rowing (which I don’t). And on top of that, all the "characters" are real people and all the events really happened!”
Summary: This story follows Joe Rantz, a young working class man who has been abandoned by his family. Trying to survive during the Great Depression, he joins the rowing team at the University of Washington, which changes the course of his life forever. Through determination, trust, and an immense amount of grit, the team manages to win their way to the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany—and, along the way, discover a new meaning of family.