Spring break is just around the corner!! If you’re anything like me, you’re already starting to scout out some good, unputdownable, juicy novels to bring along on your spring break trip this year, so I wanted to share some of my favorite books to read on spring break. I can’t believe how quickly spring break sneaks up! This year I have a really fun trip planned, but it will involve some travel time, so I need to load up my kindle before I leave. Here are some of the books I’ve read recently that I just couldn’t put down!  These were the books that would make me insist I’ll just read “one more page” before I fall asleep….and 2 hours later I’m still reading. Just the type of thing you need for a a vacation.

Now, maybe you don’t like to turn your brain off on vacation and just read fluff. Sometimes vacation is the perfect time to read something that’s a bit more, um, “academically engaging” than Nicholas Sparks, but you need the vacation time to actually have the hours in a day to pick up a book and read. I got you! I can feel the same way, depending on the vacation. (For instance, on summer beach trips, I only want to read Liane Moriarty and Jojo Moyes….but if it’s a quick weekend trip during the school year, I’m usually reaching for a nonfiction or more advanced fiction.) If this is you, start at the bottom of the list. I’ve loosely sorted these books, top to bottom, from least amount of brain power required to read to most amount of brain power needed to finish the book. Enjoy!

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14 BINGE-WORTHY BOOKS TO READ ON SPRING BREAK

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

The story line follows a young girl who, after living in Chicago for 10 years to hide from her past, brings her black boyfriend home to Alabama to meet her (more than a little) racist family. There’s a lot of scandal and mystery and fun plot twists, and this audiobook kept me entertained while I was driving home from an orchestra gig until 1:00 in the morning.

The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand

No spring break book list would be complete without at least one Elin Hilderbrand novel! All of her books are based on Nantucket island, which make them the perfect little vacation novels. I’ve read a few, and they’re all pretty similar… they take place on the island, the plot is usually a love story, and the story is often revolving around food! I actually really love how Hilderbrand describes food in her books, and “The Blue Bistro” is the best one, because the story takes place in a high-end restaurant on the island. This is a really fun, quick, shut-off-your-brain sort of spring break novel!

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Gilmore Girls actor Lauren Graham’s novel, “Someday, Someday, Maybe” is about an aspiring young actor living in New York City. Whether this book follows her life or not, the plot will grab you and Lauren Graham’s wit will keep you entertained until the end of the book! I listened to this as an audio book, which I highly recommend! The author reads it, and if you’re a Gilmore Girls fan, you’ll love hearing her voice make all sort of jokes that would make Lorelai Gilmore proud. : )

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

This Australian author writes funny, witty, charming novels that take place in her homeland. I’ve read all of them, and I think this one is my favorite! Moriarty somehow manages to take a rather deep and dark subject matter and make the story funny in this book…without making light of the situation. And now it’s a limited series on HBO! I still need to check that out!

The Assistants by Camille Perri

This book was so much fun to binge read – you need this one for your spring break trip! I’m including the book description from google books:

Rule #1: All important men have assistants. Rule #2: Men rule the world. Still. Rule #3: There is enough money. There is so much money.

Tina Fontana is a thirty-year-old executive assistant to Robert Barlow, the CEO of Titan Corp., a multinational media conglomerate. She’s excellent at her job and beloved by her famous boss—but after six years of making reservations and pouring drinks from bottles that cost more than her rent, the glamour of working for a media company in New York has completely faded, but her student loan debt has not. 

When a technical error with Robert’s expense report presents Tina with the opportunity to pay off the entire balance of her loans with what would essentially be pocket change for her boss, she hesitates. She’s always played by the rules, but this would be a life-changer. As Tina begins to fall down the rabbit hole of her morally questionable plan, other assistants with crushing debt and fewer scruples approach her to say that they want in. Before she knows it, she’s at the forefront of a movement that has implications far beyond what anyone anticipated.

Featuring an eclectic clan of coconspirators, a love interest far too handsome to be trusted, and a razor-sharp voice full of wry humor, The Assistants is a rallying cry for the leagues of overeducated and underpaid women who are asking themselves, How is it that after all these years, we are still assistants?

ROOM by Emma Donoghue

Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, “Room” is high on the list of un-put-downable spring break books! This novel about a mother and son who have been kidnapped and held hostage in a shed for the duration of the boy’s life from Emma Donoghue will have you on the edge of your seat, even if you’ve already seen the movie! (Psst: I also just finished her most recent novel, “The Wonder,” and I loved that one too!).

Primates of park avenue by Wednesday Martin

If you’re a Gossip Girl fan, read this book! Wednesday Martin, an resident of the Upper East Side in NYC, is also smart and witty (she has her doctorate from Yale!), and she gives you the inside scoop of what it’s really like to live among Manhattan’s elite. From shopping for a $10,000 Birkin Bag, to going through the complicated ropes to land her children in the best private schools the city has to offer, every bit of this juicy memoir is fascinating, and (at least to me…) a whole different world!

The Martian by Andy Weir

One of the things that amazed me about this book was the amount of geekiness the author has to be able to explain so much detail of the science and engineering behind keeping his protaganist alive on Mars while the team back on earth attempts to rescue him. It’s incredible! I did read this one before I saw the movie, but they’re both worthwhile (Matt Damon does a wonderful job in the film) and I definitely couldn’t put this one down.

Modern Romance by aziz ansari

SO many LOLZ! If you’re able to listen to this as an audiobook, do it! Aziz Ansari reads his own writing, and he’s just a hysterical person! But beyond being amusing, the author actually puts a lot of depth and research into his book about what a modern relationship looks like now. He talks about the complications of having so many romantic options through social media and dating sites, and he discusses dating cultures around the world and how they’ve grown and changed in modern times. This book is insightful, well-researched, and funny!

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

This fictional account of Ernest Hemingway’s relationship with his first wife, Hadley Richardson, is beautifully crafted in “The Paris Wife.” I didn’t know much about Hemingway’s personal life before reading it, and I loved listening to the audiobook and discovering more about the love and heartbreak in his marriage to Hadley. It also made me feel like I know him better, which has helped me to appreciate his novels on a deeper level!

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

This one was inspiring! If you’re feeling like you might need a fresh start or a healthy kick in the pants, read this book by the creator of Gray’s Anatomy and Scandal. Shonda Rhimes is a feisty thing, and I love her outlook on life. She’s worked hard to earn her resume, but she’s not conceited or uppity. In fact, she seems very down-to-earth and willing to share about her struggles in life, including her balance of family-work life and her weight. And of course, she’s a great writer (it is her job, after all!), so the book is engaging and fun!

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

I binge-read this one in one day…I just couldn’t put it down! This novel of suspense begins with the crash of a private jet only 16 minutes after it took off from Martha’s Vineyard. The remainder of the novel goes back and forth in time, gradually revealing the backstories of all 11 passengers on the plane while the reader attempts to discover the truth. It’s a page-turner for sure!

Quiet by Susan Cain

This is the book that I can’t stop recommending to people! I feel like everyone, introvert or extrovert, should read this book. As an introvert, it helped me to understand myself and my tendencies on a much higher level, and for extroverts, it’s an important book to read to understand the introverts in your life!

If you’re unsure about reading it, start with Susan Cain’s TED talk: The Power of Introverts.

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink

I’m an orchestra and violin teacher, and I wish that the parents of every single one of my students would read this book to better understand the importance of an artistic education in this century! Daniel Pink discusses how our era is shifting into an era that places importance on artists: people who can create, think outside the box, empathize, and dream. He shows how Fortune 500 companies are more interested in hiring art degree majors than MBA grads. In addition to his well-researched finds, Pink gives further ideas for reading and developing the right side of your brain.

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Ok, now it’s your turn! What’s the most unputdownable book you’ve read recently? Let me know in the comments down below!

Have a great day, friends!

Kelsey