Summer Reading List for Fantasy and Science Fiction Wannabes

Hurray! Summer is finally here! Most of us are out of school, but do you remember in high school when you had to read some boring book over the summer? Maybe you are still in high school and that situation is all too familiar. Well, I have a lovely surprise...reading is fun! Especially when you decide what you read. Not that every book assigned at school is bad...in fact, there are many great ones like Catcher in the Rye. But when you make yourself a reading list and actually try to do it, reading becomes easier and even fun. It is healthy to exercise your imagination through books and what better way than through fantasy or science fiction? The following is a list (alphabetical by author's last name) of books that I think you'll enjoy:

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

Peter Pan (Peter and Wendy & Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens) by J. M. Barrie

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Alice in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass) by Lewis Carroll

Redwall (series) by Brian Jacques

Magic's Pawn, Magic's Promise, and Magic's Price (series) by Mercedes Lackey

The Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C. S. Lewis

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson

1984 by George Orwell

Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling

The Lord of the Rings (series) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Roverandom by J. R. R. Tolkien

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Many of these you've heard of and possibly already read which is great! Note that some of the books listed are actually series, meaning there is more than one book you'd be reading. The Lord of the Rings as you know is actually three books called The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Some are really old like Flatland and Jekyll and Hyde. This is just a short list that should inspire you to read one, all, or none of the listed books (hoping that it inspired you to create your own reading list).

If you are like me, you read really slowly. It's not a bad thing because often I pick up more details; however, sometimes I still wish I could read a page a second. My advice to you is don't worry about being a slow reader. As long as you read, you can still experience the adventures of a story. It's fine if all you read is one novel this summer. You may find picking up a book is just as fun as Pokemon on your Nintendo DS.