Ten Books to Read on a Rainy Day
Danielle Gorman
The time has finally come; summer break. No more homework and no more school, you can lay out by the pool all day and make plenty of summer memories. There’s only one problem… it’s raining. But don’t worry because summer can be just as fun even if you are stuck inside. So, I am counting down the top 10 books you should grab for a rainy day.
- 13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher is a compelling, young adult novel about yes, a dead girl… well kind of. Two weeks before the novel takes place, a young girl named Hannah Baker killed herself and left behind a recording explaining the 13 reasons why she did it. Fast forward two weeks in and quiet student, Clay Jenson, finds a package at his door. When he opens it he finds the recordings from Hannah, the instructions on the box are simple: listen to the tape and pass it on to the next person. However, if someone does not follow the instructions then a second set of the tapes will be leaked out to the student body. This is a perfect read for those of you who like power novels that have an effect on each reader’s life.
- Ender’s Game
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is military science fiction novel that was published in 1985. The book takes place in the future where the people of Earth are faced with threats from “Buggers” or aliens. It follows a young boy who goes by the name Ender, he is asked to go to a military school where they train the boys vigorously so they can be well-suited soldiers. While Ender is there he excels more than the other boys and is the leader of the group. However, Ender also suffers many difficulties while he is there, because while going away to fight may have seemed fun it comes with consequences, too. This is a book for teenagers and adults, and it definitely gets your mind thinking. Ender’s Game is a challenging and fascinating read for a rainy day.
- Eleanor and Park
You may have heard about Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, but if you haven’t got a chance to read it yet, then a rainy day is a perfect day to read this bittersweet novel. The book takes place in 1986 in Omaha. We quickly meet our two protagonists, a redhead named Eleanor who wears strange clothes to school and leads a life behind closed doors, and Park, a shy boy who justs wants to fit in and stay out of people’s way. The two misfits couldn’t be more different, but it’s the fact they are misfits that bring them together, well that and comic books and 80s rock music. This book tackles hard hitting themes like abuse, bullying, and body image and does so in a way that relates to teens and helps open anyone’s eyes.
- It’s Kind of a Funny Story
You may remember a movie with this title being released in 2010, but before you go rewatch or see the movie for the first time be sure to pick up the highly rated book first. It’s Kind of a Funny Story was written in 2006 by Ned Vizzini, and is another hard hitting novel that tackles depression and finding yourself while you are young. The story focuses on fifteen year-old Craig Gilner, who after getting into a very advanced school, starts to suffer from severe anxiety and depression and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital. While at first he doesn’t think he belongs to such a place, all of that soon changes and Craig learns some of the best and worst lessons from this hospital. This book is based on the author’s own experiences at a hospital like Craig’s, and rated as a believable novel that definitely gets you thinking.
- Paper Towns
I know you have heard of this one. Paper Towns, written by the very popular young adult author, John Green, is a mystery novel that follows senior Quentin Jacobsen or Q. Ever since he was younger, Q has had a major crush on his neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman and even though they grew apart and went into different crowds throughout high school Q still has that same crush on Margo. One night Margo enlists Q’s help on a major quest where she gets revenge on all of those who have wronged her. Q has the best night of his life and it leaves him questioning where this leaves him and Margo for the rest of high school. However, the next day it is reported that Margo has gone missing. As the novel progresses, Q finds little clues that he believes is Margo’s way of telling him to come find her, and this leaves us all wondering, can Margo be found? A movie adaptation of Paper Towns is going to be released in July, so if you were one of those people who saw The Fault in Our Stars without reading the book and was completely shocked, be sure to read this one before you see the movie.
- I Am the Messenger
If you were forced to read the Book Thief in middle school, you may recognize the name of the author of I Am the Messenger. Mark Zusak wrote I Am the Messenger in 2006 and while the author is the same this is not a second Book Thief. I Am the Messenger is about cab driver, Ed Kennedy, who doesn’t show much of a future. His life is one boring day after another, until one day he stops a bank robbery. Then a first ace arrives in the mail for Ed and that is when he becomes the messenger. He then goes around helping and hurting people, but this life isn’t as it seems. Ed still needs to answer more questions about being a messenger before he gets comfortable.
- Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King, starts the book off with a funeral, yep that’s right. Vera Dietz is a high schooler who has spent most of her life in love with her best friend Charlie, who, you guessed it, is now dead. However, just because Charlie is gone that doesn’t mean that he actually is gone, actually Charlie has left behind a pretty big mess for Vera to clean up, after he dies a death that isn’t solved… and Vera knows more about it than just about anyone. Now Vera has to decide how to give Charlie the peace he deserves, if she even wants to. This heartbreaking novel is a perfect one to sit inside and cry to on a rainy day.
- All the Bright Places
All the Bright Places is described as The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park, so if you love bittersweet, heart wrenching, romance novels, then this is the book for you. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, has two protagonists, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey. Violet Markey is a girl who is all about when she can move away from her small town and start her life, and it doesn’t help that she is still coping with her sister’s death. Theodore Finch is anything but a normal boy, he plans to kill himself. However, before he can do it he always finds a reason why he shouldn’t. This book takes us on a journey of these two teenagers who just happen to spend time saving each other.
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
This is another book that is releasing a movie very soon, so if you want to read this book before you see the movie, then pick one of the many rainy days we’ve been having and read this popular novel. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, as you can probably tell by the title, is about yes a dying girl, but don’t let that stop you from reading this because as you might not expect, it is actually a very comedic book. The main protagonist in this novel is Greg Gaines, a high school nobody who only has one friend, Earl. Together they spend a majority of their time making movies, that is until Greg’s mom wants him to start talking to his old friend, Rachel, again. And here is where the dying girl comes in, Rachel was diagnosed with leukemia. Once Rachel decides to stop treatment, Greg and Earl decide to make her a movie, well actually they make The Worse Film Ever Made, which takes their lives on one rollercoaster. This story is a heart touching, comedic novel about what completely changed three high schoolers lives.
- Looking For Alaska
Another book I’m sure you have heard of. Looking for Alaska, by John Green, is narrated by an awkward, skinny boy, Miles, ironically nicknamed Pudge, as he tells the story about his life at boarding school. While Pudge is at boarding school he meets Alaska Young, a gorgeous, funny, screwed up, teenage girl who instantly catches Pudge’s attention. With Alaska’s help, Pudge is taken into one whirlwind of a ride that turns his uneventful life into nothing but an event. However, the book is split into two parts and this was before. After, nothing is the same. This is a funny, yet dark and heartbreaking novel, which will leave you in tears and either wanting to be Alaska Young or wanting to be best friend’s with her.
So, if you are ever stuck inside on a rainy day, pick up one of these novels and get in some of your summer reading early.
