Spring break is drawing near, which means time for travel, time for lounging on the beach, and some time spent relaxing on park benches while the kids play. What better to do with that time than to get lost in the best books of the year?! These five easy and interesting reads have quickly become bestsellers and offer a little something for every adult reader. Grab a bookmark, your beverage of choice, and a copy of one of these books before settling in (and tuning out)!
1.Tips for Living by Renee Shafransky
This book is part relatable chick lit and part murder mystery. Full of plot twists, the basis is this: a woman is scorned when her husband gets another woman pregnant. Our main character leaves town and starts a new life, but her ex and his new family end up living nearby, causing her to backslide into jealousy, humiliation, and resentment all over again. When the ex and his new wife are later found dead in their home, the main character is the prime suspect, but it turns out, she wasn’t the only one with reason to kill.
2. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan
Based on a true story, this is a triumphant tale of one man’s courage and resilience during the atrocities of the Holocaust and the devastation of World War II. It’s a suspenseful love story that often puts the reader in the position of wondering what she would do in that situation. Fans of All the Light We Cannot See will love this saga.
3. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
In this book, newlyweds with everything going for them are suddenly ripped apart when the husband is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. While he serves time in prison, the wife finds comfort in her childhood friend, who was also the best man at her wedding. She falls further out of love with her husband as each year passes, but then he is suddenly released from prison and returns to resume their life together.
4. Feel Free by Zadie Smith
This collection of essays is arranged into five sections (In the World, In the Audience, In the Gallery, On the Bookshelf, and Feel Free), asking and answering thought-provoking, relevant questions about social media, global warming, and tons of other topics. Some essays are previously unpublished, while others are well known, such as, “Joy,” and, “Find Your Beach.”
5. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
This novel follows four siblings who, as children in 1960’s New York City, visited a fortune teller and were told the dates of their respective deaths. The book begs the question: how would knowing the date of your death shape the rest of your life? In the cases of the siblings, each one’s prophecy informs the rest of their lives in fascinating ways.
We hope that one or even a few of these books, will make it on your reading list this spring.
