School is almost done. We're almost free from modules, online classes, and other school work. Since we're still not allowed to get out because of the freaking virus that just won't go away, we cannot fulfill our escapade on different beaches that we planned a year ago. Do you have any plans on making your school vacation productive and fun? This is for you to enjoy your vacation at home while sitting on the couch and holding your phone or books. If books are too expensive for you to have, you can download the story you want to read on epub. It is an electronic book format that lets you have an access to the story or book you want to read. So, here are my top 5 recommended books for you to read.

TOP 5

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

This story centers on two teenagers in the city. Park Sheridan is a half Korean boy who lives a cushy life, and a slightly big overweight girl, Eleanor Douglas who has a highly dysfunctional family. They do not seem like the type to get along, but a gradual relationship develops between them as they sit together on the bus each morning. Their relationship was so beautifully written, humorous at times, and smile-inducing while tugging hard at your heart. Sharing his seat on the bus with the new strange girl worked out for Park! Slowly Park breaks down Eleanor’s pain of her home life and they learn to trust one another. Eleanor’s home is completely deplorable. She is bullied at school and her clothing style is unique, she struggles with her image because she isn’t slight in frame. The best line for me in the story is this, “Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” I found it nice because I am fond of collecting aesthetic design, so I somewhat agree with the statement that not all beautiful things can be seen, some are felt by the heart. The author amazingly recreates the fear, obsession, tentativeness,s, and devotion Eleanor and Park feel for each other; neither one is sure why they’re loved so much by the other, each giving themselves completely over to the love they feel even at their young age. So, when you will read this I am pretty sure you will remember your first love. Yeah, folks, I remembered him SO WELL haha.

Top 4

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

This was the book I hardly finished reading in college. The words are too subtle and it's using the old style in writing. But I could say that I love this story so much.  I’ve read so many wonderful books recently that I needed to verify that this was still my favorite. Upon reminiscing on this story, I was reminded of my younger, naïvely romantic self. I see why this book spoke so directly to me then, but I also see how much I’ve changed. Though I still found the book to be beautifully written, I say this joyfully, with gratitude for my love of reading.

Love in the Time of Cholera tells the story of an epic love triangle, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall in love in their early twenties, but a combination of uncontrollable and unforeseen circumstances prevent them from getting married. Instead, Fermina Daza is married to Dr. Juvenal Urbino, a wealthy and prominent doctor. Márquez’s novel almost spans the entirety of Florentino and Fermina’s long lives, describing both of them through the many ways they grow and change. As I read the story, I promptly believe that love should be like Florentino Ariza who unrequitedly waits for Fermina for more than 50 years, waiting until she is widowed to declare himself, when he is 76 and she 72. On the contrary, love is also thought to be learned and invented as what Juvenal and Fermina had for each other. They did not fall in love they both look for it and they found it. In this story, time has proved both enemy and friend. This is a novel about people who choose hope over despair, self-knowledge over self-dramatization, in the belief that love can transform age and time.

Top 3

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

I have read most of Nicholas Sparks's books. But, this one is my all-time favorite.

The Best of Me is the story of Dawson and Amanda. Their relationship has a classic tragic storyline with rich, beautiful, well-respected, and popular Amanda falling for poor, unloved, and abused Dawson. Their families are united in trying to control them and destroy their relationship and as the book opens in the present day, Dawson and Amanda are leading separate and very different lives. The main story takes place over a long weekend as Dawson and Amanda return to their hometown following the death of Tuck Hostetler; a man who has played a key role in their lives and is now about to reunite them for the first time since they were teenagers. Dawson is a complex character who has cheated death so many times, he could be considered immortal. His love for Amanda never subsided, therefore seeing her after years of absence brings back all the feelings he once had. Whereas, Amanda has built a career and a family since leaving Dawson all those years ago and isn't sure if she should risk her marriage for a long-awaited encounter with Dawson.

I would recommend The Best Of Me to anyone who is a fan of romance novels, or simply looking to branch out and would rate it 10/10 as it took me on an emotional rollercoaster throughout.

Top 2

Every Day by David Levithan

I have not read anything like it before and honestly I am in awe at how the author was able to make up such a beautiful story. I love how the story was a cut above the rest, never mediocre. The story introduced us to different lives, which was so clever and so beautiful because the book was able to show an abundance of experiences and how all lives seemed different yet they are the same at the same time. It was a glimpse of the lives of other people and how they go about it each day. I loved how the feeling of love wasn’t caged into one definition, it is encompassing and knows no size, race, and gender. This is what I commend most about this book, its power to see past the physical appearance and focus on what’s inside. It was complex yet you can’t help but be sucked in. This book is worthy of every praise it has been getting and more. I loved how it made me mull over on life itself and how it was able to hold that much power over me that I didn’t know possible. I loved how the author was able to present the book in such a raw yet captivating tale, the attention to detail, the perfectly curated plot, it is everything good.

The idea of someone waking up as someone new every day is just amazing, and then throw in the romantic aspect of the story and I’m completely sold. I’m so glad that I did take my time reading this because it was so worth it. A wakes up in a different body every day. One day he wakes up as this guy named Justin, who has this wonderful girlfriend named Rhiannon. He realizes that she is so surprised when Justin/A agrees to go on a date with her for the day because Austin normally doesn’t do that so often even though they’re dating. A ends up falling for Rhiannon, even though she’s in love with Justin.

Each day after waking up as Justin, he’s still in love with Rhiannon even though he’s in the body of someone else. He seeks out ways to visit her as other people, and she doesn’t even know until finally, A tells her about himself. The thing is, how is Rhiannon meant to learn how to love someone who doesn’t even have his own body?
I have to say that I felt so bad for not only A, but Rhiannon too. She is in such a crappy relationship with Justin and she knows she is. Plus, she has some guy (A) who loves her and tries to prove it to her every day. If you are someone who lost interest in love because of your heartbreaks and everything? This one will make you fall in love every day.

Top 1

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Imagine being an adult and unable to learn things as quickly as others or not able to remember anything from your childhood. Imagine being told that there was a remedy to the condition and the happiness and hope that would follow.  Imagine the eagerness and anticipation to do what others can do and then the despair that would follow when told that there was not enough lifetime to accomplish all.  Flowers for Algernon is a book that engages readers to imagine and feel all of those emotions. This story is formatted as a compilation of progress reports written by the main character, Charlie Gordon, to monitor his intellectual and psychological growth. Within the first report, Charlie introduces the readers to his life, and the reader can connect with him. He explains that he has been chosen to be part of an experiment that can make him intelligent. However, before doctors can proceed with the surgery, Charlie has to complete several tests at the lab and that is where he is introduced to Algernon, the mouse who underwent the same surgery before him. Charlie’s hard work pays off, and the surgery is successful. Within weeks Charlie can learn new concepts and skills with great speed. He doesn’t notice this at first, but when he does his excitement and happiness know no bound. What’s funny is that as a reader you feel the same way.

Months pass and Charlie’s IQ is more than twice what it was before the surgery. However, as textbooks become easier to understand, his emotions become complicated. But, things take a turn for the worse when Charlie notices Algernon’s health deteriorating, and he learns that soon the same would happen to him. This is perhaps the part where I cried a river as I felt the anxiety Charlie feels when he realizes his intelligence would soon go away.

I considered this as my recommendation as I have encountered many experiences I had in real life and aside from that it is truly an inspiring story.

So I hope you find time to read all these books. For sure, you will gonna love it 😉

Come back here if you finished reading my recommendations and share your thoughts about them Happy reading! ❤

What about you? Can you share with me some of your favorite books?