For a plane ride, a car ride, a beach visit, before bed, or just for leisure.
1. 'The Silent Patient' by Alex Michaelides
If you're into psychological thrillers, this one is definitely for you. It's about a famous painter who is married to an in-demand fashion photographer both living in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. After her husband Gabriel returns from a fashion shoot late one night, Alicia shoots him in the face a total of five times before silencing herself and never speaking a single word ever again. The mysterious nature of this event causes it to gain public attention and causes the price of Alicia's art to skyrocket as she is hidden in a secure forensic unit in North London. Find out what happens when psychotherapist Theo Faber finally gets the chance to work with her and why it threatened to consume him.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40097951-the-silent-patient
2. 'One Of Us Is Lying' by Karen McManus
This one was recommended to me by a friend, and it is now one of my current favorites. Five high school kids are put in detention on a Monday afternoon. However, one of these students never makes it out of the detention room: he's dead. Investigators decided that his death was no accident and the four other students become suspects. Who did it? Bronwyn, the Yale-bound who never breaks a rule? Addy, the picture-perfect homecoming princess? Nate, the already on probation for dealing? Cooper, the all-star baseball pitcher? Or is there another killer still on the loose?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32571395-one-of-us-is-lying
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/One-Us-Lying-Karen-McManus/dp/1524714682
3. 'Psycho' by Robert Bloch
Have you noticed my obsession with crime and mystery novels yet? This one is the first book in the Psycho series. It's a 1959 thriller novel telling the story of Norman Bates, caretaker at an isolated motel who struggles under his domineering mother and becomes embroiled into a series of murders. It is based on the true story of a man named Ed Gein who lived a dual life. The book was also turned into a classic film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. I highly recommend reading the book before watching the movie, it's captivating.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156427.Psycho
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Novel-Robert-Bloch/dp/1590203356
4. 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran
This book has been recommended to me by at least five different people and some of my friends even recommended it more than once; let me tell you, it was worth the read. Penguin Random House puts it best for this one:
"The Prophet contains powerful words of wisdom on such essential subjects as marriage, children, friendship, work, and pleasure—words that readers from around the world have found inspirational and life-changing. A poet, artist, and mystic, Gibran was born to a poor Christian family in Lebanon and emigrated to the United States as an adolescent, where he began studying art. The twenty-eight poetic essays collected in The Prophet are illustrated with twelve of his full-page drawings. Perhaps no other twentieth-century writer has touched the hearts and minds of so remarkably varied and widespread a readership".
I cannot emphasize enough how touched I am by this book, and I cannot recommend it enough to really anyone. At least check it out on Goodreads or read a couple of pages of it online.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2547.The_Prophet
5. 'A Matter of Honor' by Jeffrey Archer
Of course, this one is another mysterious story. Adam Scott receives a mysterious letter from his father who is a British colonel and upon opening the yellowing envelope, Adam sets off a series of events that not only destroy parts of his life but also puts his life in danger as he runs for his life from the CIA and KGB. Find out why the letter is so significant and why Adam is so determined to protect it: for it's more than a matter of life and death-it's a matter of honor.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78970.A_Matter_of_Honor
6. 'Murder on the Orient Express' by Agatha Christie
At this point, you shouldn't even expect that I read anything other than crime and mystery. This one is a pretty engaging novel, and as Goodreads puts it:
"What more can a mystery addict desire than a much-loathed murder victim found aboard the luxurious Orient Express with multiple stab wounds, thirteen likely suspects, an incomparably brilliant detective in Hercule Poirot, and the most ingenious crime ever conceived?"
There is also a movie based on this novel, so once again I highly recommend reading the book before watching the movie!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/853510.Murder_on_the_Orient_Express
7. 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' by Brian Selznick
I have not personally read or looked into this one much just yet, but I decided to include it because it has been recommended to me multiple times and because I added it to my summer reading list as well. From Goodreads:
"Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery."
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9673436-the-invention-of-hugo-cabret
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Invention-Hugo-Cabret-Brian-Selznick/dp/0439813786
8. 'Scythe' by Neal Shusterman
This is another one that I personally have not gotten around to reading, but decided to include in this list since it is on my personal summer reading list after it has been suggested to me by quite a few friends. From Goodreads:
"A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. "
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28954189-scythe
Happy Reading!
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