9 Books You Need To Read This Summer

Whether you love fiction, can't get enough nonfiction or even enjoy the occasional foray into YA, the book lovers who work at Powell's have some summer reading recommendations for you! Grab a book and get outside!

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Via tweedsmag.org

"In Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, set in France in 1944, a 16-year-old blind French girl and a 17-year-old German soldier are on different yet converging paths. This is an amazing, masterfully executed tale. Each perfect word, each perfect sentence is magnificent. Gorgeously written scenes, whether tender or brutal, are told with precision. Characters resonate so true to their being. Read it for the sheer beauty of the words. Read it for the sheer beauty of the story. I was immersed in this time and place through this magic."

- Adrienne

2. The Empathy Exams: Essays by Leslie Jamison

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"Leslie Jamison is a marvel. The essays that make up this collection are wise, uncomfortable, beautiful, humane, and utterly absorbing. They demand an investigation of the reader's own heart. I can't think of another book I've recommended to so many people so fiercely. I'm already happy to declare it the best nonfiction book of 2014."

- Jill Owens

3. The Bees by Laline Paull

Via media.npr.org

"In the queen-worshipping world of bees, worker-bee Flora is born into the bottom of the hierarchy. Her unique abilities gain her normally forbidden access throughout the social structure of her hive. The Bees is a charming — and informative — glimpse into the environmentally endangered world of the honeybee."

-Tracey T

4. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Via wordpress.com

"During Cady's 15th summer on the island, she had an accident. She doesn't remember what happened, just that she gets terrible headaches. Lockhart weaves a suspenseful tale, building to a wallop of a surprise ending."

- Mary Jo

5. Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by Dave Eggers

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"This book is a series of conversations — dialogue only — between a guy and the various people he has kidnapped and shackled in separate buildings. Slowly you discover who he is and why he's done what he's done. Weird and intriguing, it's one of the most thought-provoking and engaging books I've read in a while."

- Lizzy

6. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

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"In a Midwestern city, a killer plows through an unsuspecting crowd in a Mercedes, setting in motion a terrifying chain of events. Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes is a perfect summer read — page-turningly suspenseful, well-written, and unnervingly familiar."

- Tessa

7. The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Via media.npr.org

"Set in the aftermath of Colombia's horrific drug wars, Vásquez's elegant novel provides an intimate look at a generation still coming to terms with the crimes of a not-so-distant past. Written from the perspective of a law professor who unknowingly befriends a drug mule, The Sound of Things Falling offers a wholly original story told with an intensity that reverberates."

- Abby

8. The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

Via thebooksmugglers.com

"Ten-year-old Melanie's entire world is a windowless prison. She has never seen the sky. She has only seen pictures of flowers and kittens. Melanie loves school, although sometimes students are taken away never to return. This is a novel of survival and hope. And zombies."

-Tracey T.

9. A Fighting Chance by Elizabeth Warren

Via media.npr.org

"Whether you're a liberal or a conservative, every side needs a champion who can translate complicated ideas into simple language. But the left enjoys more than an extremely capable communicator. Elizabeth Warren's passion is infectious, her determination inspiring, and her integrity above reproach. And with her new memoir, a rallying-cry-for-the-middle-class, she'll only continue to stir things up."

- Martin