4 books millennials need to read this summer
Summer is a time for barbecues with friends, days by the pool, and finding a quiet spot in the shade to curl up with your favorite book.
If you're anything like me, you know it's not always easy to find spare time to read.
Work is busy, life is busy, and the notion of "summer" doesn't evoke the same feelings of freedom and relaxation that it once did.
If you can find a way to make the time, however, reading is one of the best ways to unwind and re-energize yourself.
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Here are the four must-reads for summer '16.
1. The Rat Collector
The Rat Collector is the first published novel of millennial and science fiction extraordinaire Chris Yee. Chris, a graduate of Northeastern University and full-time engineer at AECOME, creates a dystopian world packed with adventure, twists, and moments of science fiction.
The Rat Collector follows the journey of Vince Vigo, who starts the novel wandering in pursuit of an older friend. Vigo unexpectedly stumbles upon a small mountain village called Snow Peak. Villagers soon start to go missing, and Vince has no choice but to convince them that his former friend Saul Shepherd, once his best friend, is someone to be feared. After two hundred years, Vince must finally confront Saul.
The Rat Collector is the first book in Chris' trilogy, Age of End. The trilogy follows characters who are given the choice to live forever - but with unfortunate consequences. The characters gradually discover the origin of their abilities, and find themselves in a situation they never could have predicted.
The trilogy samples themes of death, life, and mortality.
2. End of Watch
The third book in Stephen King's latest trilogy, End of Watch, is a novel we all need to get our hands on this summer. The novel may even trump the trilogy's first book, Mr. Mercedes, which won the Edgar Award.
The story begins with Brady Hartsfield, convict of the Mercedes Masacre, who is now in a vegetative state. Despite his condition, Brady now harnesses supernatural powers which allow him to cause destruction without anyone seeing him move from his hospital room.
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Bill Hodge, the hero from Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now manages an investigation agency alongside his partner Holly Gibney. Holly and Bill find themselves in the middle of a life-threatening investigation that puts themselves and their friends in danger.
King keeps his classic heart-pounding suspense and thrill alive in this book, which will keep you gripping the book with white knuckles from the first page.
3. Fixers
New York Times bestselling novelist and financier Michael Thomas has recently churned out a breathtaking thriller packed with conspiracies from The White House to Wall Street.
Fixersbegins with Chauncy Suydam who receives a call from the world's largest investment bank. The bank says that a financial crisis is about to break, and wants Chauncy to help them protect Wall Street from the collapse.
Why does he need Chauncy? To help the movement of millions of dollars towards a specific presidential candidate.
Almost as soon as Chauncy gets involved in the scheme does he start enjoying it and learning from it. Just as he realizes the full implications of his actions, he begins to feel regret and must choose whether he should follow through or pull out.
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4. When Breath Becomes Air
It's no surprise that Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Airis already a #1 New York Times Bestseller.
The memoir details Paul's life through medical school into his diagnoses of stage 4 lung cancer.
When he was 36 years-old and in his tenth year of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul's life is turned upside down. He and his wife had been planning the life ahead of themselves and their child, and all that changed when Paul went from doctor to patient in a matter of hours.
As a student, Paul was fascinated by the meaning of life. Everything dies, so how do we distinguish the meaning of one's life from another, or define it at all? What makes life worth it? These are the questions Paul pondered before his diagnosis, and saw very differently as he was fighting for his life.
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