Story Scott Heter

Photo Danielle Towne

It can be hard to fit leisure reading into a hectic schedule, especially for college students. When you do find some time, you want to make sure you’re picking up a book that won’t disappoint. Nothing puts a book at the top of a list like a personal recommendation from an avid reader. For the past three years, Mike Hughes has been the youngest employee at a branch of Powell’s Books in Beaverton, Oregon. Here are his top ten recommendations for your summer reading list.

10. The Road

Cormac McCarthy

“A post-apocalyptic world that tells the story of a father and son with an unexpectedly hopeful ending.”

9. Found: the best lost, tossed, and forgotten items from around the world

Davy Rothbart

“An interesting collection of found objects, from rejected valentines to found scraps of paper with unfinished messages.”

8. Franny and Zooey

J.D. Salinger

“A book chronicling only a few interactions between siblings Franny and Zooey, where they struggle with reentering a child-like perception of the world to get over the disenchantment with their brother’s death.”

7. The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

“An account of a confused and angst-filled teen dropout spending a few days in New York to realize most things are phony and inevitably lonely.”

6. Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir

Graham Romieu

“In this mock autobiography, the heavily misunderstood Bigfoot gives insight on his daily life and the struggle to be a respected part of the forest. Hilarious.”

5. Reading Lolita in Tehran

Azar Nafisi

“An eye-opening account of a group of girls who secretly meet to read banned books of classic literature. It not only educated the public of the realities of Tehran but the power of literature to stimulate free thought.”

4. Choke

Chuck Palahniuk

“This book is at times vile and represents what many of us hate about humanity but does so with a love-to-hate character who cares for his grandma by making bold decisions to fraud good Samaritans.”

3. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Carson McCullers

“A novel that is hailed as McCullers’ best for its deep characters and ability to give truth and voice to those who would not normally [have any] in the South.”

2. Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

“A great graphic novel chronicling a young girl’s childhood growing up in Tehran during the overthrow of the Shah.”

1. Watchmen

Alan Moore

“The Hugo Award-winning graphic novel is argued to be the best of all time. Even before it was made into a movie, it had been a favorite of all sci-fi nerds.”