Enriching the Mind | The Best Books to Read on Vacation
So many books, so little time... When you're relaxing on vacation, reading for pleasure reaches the status of a luxurious activity. Enriching your mind with reading material is a great way to relax and de-stress. From historical fiction to flirty romance to books filled with motivational insights—we asked our agents to help pitch in on this list of recommended vacation books that are sure to offer the perfect escape.
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Author Delia Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
The Most Fun We Ever Had
by Claire Lombardo
Submitted by Kate Fanselow (@Kate.Fanselow)
In this rich and complex family saga, full of long-buried family secrets, Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. With the unexpected arrival of young Jonah Bendt—a child placed for adoption by one of the daughters fifteen years before—the Sorensons will be forced to reckon with the rich and varied tapestry of their past.
People We Meet on Vacation
by Emily Henry
Poppy and Alex have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.
Horse: A Novel
by Geraldine Brooks
Submitted by Terry A. Schwartz (@TerrysellsChicago)
A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
Who Moved My Cheese?
by Spencer Johnson
Submitted by Melinda N Jordan (@MJtheCloser)
Cheese is a metaphor for what you want in life - be it a good job, a loving relationship, money or possessions, health or spiritual peace of mind. And the maze is where you look for what you want - the organization you work in, or the family or community where you live. This book shows how to anticipate change, adapt quickly, enjoy the change and be ready for more, so that you suffer from less stress and enjoy more success in life.
