{"id":1595,"date":"2026-07-22T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/?p=1595"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T19:29:47","slug":"roundabouts-top-three-summer-reads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/out-and-abouts\/roundabouts-top-three-summer-reads\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundabout\u2019s Top Three Summer Reads"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Article by Layney Keesee, Graphic by Lily Driver<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/07\/summer-reading-final-edited-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"A stack of five colorful books on a wooden shelf, including &quot;THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS,&quot; &quot;A Midsummer Night&apos;s Dream,&quot; and &quot;BUTTER&quot;.\" class=\"wp-image-1628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/07\/summer-reading-final-edited-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/07\/summer-reading-final-edited-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/07\/summer-reading-final-edited-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/07\/summer-reading-final-edited-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2026\/07\/summer-reading-final-edited-1-2048x1152.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-22T10:00:00-04:00\">July 22, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s be real \u2014 did anyone ever actually have summer reading assignments in grade school? And more importantly, did anyone ever actually read them? I\u2019ve always been a reader and a goody two-shoes, and even I have no recollection of ever having to read anything over summer break. There\u2019s a singular hazy memory of being given a list, but nothing ever came from it, just like when they tried to teach us the state capitals. Oh, the times are sure a-changin\u2019, aren\u2019t they?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I want to bring you back to the times of Battle of the Books and reading logs, summer library reading challenges and reading far past your bedtime. Former advanced placement ELA kids, rejoice! We\u2019ve gathered a few unconventional deep cuts to read (and maybe weep over) at your beach of choice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cThe House of the Spirits\u201d by Isabel Allende<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This first pick is hardly an unknown work. As Chilean author Isabel Allende\u2019s most prolific work, \u201cThe House of the Spirits\u201d is a classic, often lauded alongside Gabriel Garcia Marquez\u2019s \u201cOne Hundred Years of Solitude.\u201d While the two works fall under the genre of magical realism and share themes surrounding the effects of colonization in South America through several generations of a singular family, that is where the similarities end. I\u2019m ashamed to say that I hadn\u2019t heard of this book until a good friend of mine recommended it to me after I talked about having to read \u201cOne Hundred Years of Solitude\u201d for a class I took a few semesters ago. Antonio, this one is for you, buddy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Haunting (pun unintended) and poignant, \u201cThe House of the Spirits\u201d will have you saying \u201chuh?\u201d one page and sobbing the next. Generational trauma, a matriarch who can commune with the dead and the catastrophic consequences of having monetarial wealth but no empathy, perfectly blend into a heart-wrenching 500-odd-page epic. Brilliantly similar to a train wreck as it is an unstoppable tragedy and yet you can\u2019t look away.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you find yourself asking why I would recommend reading this during what is supposed to be a fun, happy season? I can only say that reading this by the pool might make the tragic storyline more bearable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cButter\u201d by Asako Yuzuki<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay, so maybe I lied when I said this list was going to be niche recommendations. This thriller, originally written in Japanese, was pretty popular in online reading spaces before book influencers began primarily recommending monster smut. However, this novel is definitely popular for a reason.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically, I like to read books that take place in the season in which I\u2019m reading them. I find it more immersive that way. However, that\u2019s definitely not a hard and fast rule. \u201cButter\u201d is one such exception, as the bulk of the story takes place in the winter. Between the setting and the chilling narrative, \u201cButter\u201d is sure to keep you cool when in the middle of a heatwave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d by William Shakespeare<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here we are at our final \u2014 and perhaps most on-the-nose \u2014 recommendation. This is a play for fans of fairies, hilarious miscommunications, star-crossed lovers and flexing your literary prowess. There\u2019s also a 1990s film adaptation with a young Christian Bale. Honestly, a win-win scenario.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While this is one of Shakespeare\u2019s most famous works, you can still tell all your friends that you read Shakespeare for fun over the summer. Besides, actually reading plays is becoming a lost art and what says \u201cI\u2019m a true reader\u201d more than reading plays besides picking up an ordinary novel. Additionally, \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d is a super accessible work, both in terms of how easy it is to get your hands on a copy and in terms of how difficult it is to follow the plot. Compared to other Shakespearean works, \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream\u201d has a fairly simple plot that is easy to enjoy! And if you still get confused, all you have to do is chalk it up to \u201cfairies meddling\u201d and be on your merry way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hopefully these recommendations give you something a little out of the box to read on the long road trips you\u2019re taking this summer!&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article by Layney Keesee, Graphic by Lily Driver Let\u2019s be real \u2014 did anyone ever actually have summer reading assignments in grade school? And more importantly, did anyone ever actually read them? I\u2019ve always been a reader and a goody two-shoes, and even I have no recollection of ever having to read anything over summer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1407,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3,7,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-out-and-abouts","category-out-and-about","category-out-and-about-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1407"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1595"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1648,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595\/revisions\/1648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orgs.ncsu.edu\/roundabout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}