7 of the Best Books and Road Trip Reads This Summer
July 24, 2017
Whether it’s from the back seat of a long road trip or stretched out on a long beach towel—summertime gives us the best excuses for chilling out with a good book. So if you’re looking for some great page-turners to read by the light of the sun (or the hum of the A/C), then read on to…you know…read on.
1. MINDSPLOITATION: ASININE ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE ONLINE HOMEWORK CHEATING INDUSTRY BY VERNON CHAPMAN: Did you know there are companies out there willing to write your term papers (for a price)? Comedy writer Vernon Chapman does, and he decided to challenge them to the most absurd assignments he could imagine—and document it all in this book. Prompts include providing a new ending to The Catcher in The Rye, "where Holden Caulfield turns into a crawfish and goes into some kind of retail business," slogans for products like "Brogurt" and "BaboonHeartHam," and dozens of other insane requests—all of which get answered in earnest. With a forward by Louis C.K. and peppered with striking illustrations, the entire book is a comedy concept masterpiece. (Seriously...I get weird looks in public because of how loudly this book makes me laugh.)
2. ORYX AND CRAKE BY MARGARET ATWOOD: If you're a fan of Hulu's latest streaming sensation based on Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, you need to crack this open ASAP. Oryx and Crake is the first in Atwood's trilogy of dystopian novels that she calls "speculative fiction," because the fictional premises are all—sadly—within the realm of possibility. Part unconventional love story, part post-apocalyptic adventure, it's an eerily human look into what life might look like with fewer humans. (Read it now before HBO finally picks up Darren Aronofsky's miniseries adaptation and it's all anyone can talk about.)
3. THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA BY MICHAEL POLLAN: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables. That's Michael Pollan's mantra for a healthy and sustainable diet, and it'll make more sense the deeper you dive into his book. Aside from seriously knowing his stuff, the best part about Pollan is that he doesn't get all preachy about food. He simply presents the facts in a thoughtful and engaging way, and attempts to answer why Americans are so unhealthy on average. Maybe it'll encourage you to change your eating habits, maybe not. Either way, it's an eye-opening look into the evolution of the food industry in the US, and how it affects the decisions we make at the supermarket.
4. EMMA BY JANE AUSTEN: For some, Jane Austen is one of the most important literary greats since Shakespeare—for others...well, they probably haven't read Jane Austen. There's no better time to dig into her most controversial (and depending on how you read it, subversive) literary classic, Emma. (Tuesday marked the bicentennial of Austen's death, which England celebrated by putting her face on the £10 note.) What makes Emma so great is that it's a well-written novel, sure—but with a subtext that is widely debated. Some say Austen is playing into Regency-era standards for women, while others argue she is subtly speaking out against them through the main character. You be the judge.
5. THE PRODUCTIVITY PROJECT BY CHRIS BAILEY: A wise person once said, "Be a skeptic of two things only: Self-help books and day-old shrimp." But as you'll see for yourself in the first few pages, this book is an exception to the former. Chris Bailey has devoted most of his life to combating procrastination by living out extreme experiments that keep him productive—then documenting what works best. There's no singular magic answer for everyone, but there are multiple methods that can work for anyone (with some self-discipline) who's willing to try. Chris is also a friend of ours at Zipcar, and helped us develop a guide to 5 habits of happier more productive workplaces, so we think he's pretty cool.
6. SENSE OF STYLE: THE THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY BY STEVEN PINKER: In a world of constant status updates, witty tweets, and irreverent texts, we're actually writing more than ever. So why not get better at it? Simply put, this book is the most important writer's companion since Strunk and White—maybe even more important. Pinker takes a modern and inclusive look at how the English language can and should be used, abandoning stodgy grammar rules and easily explaining the ones that still matter. He's also great at making this stuff fun to read, adding in humor and pop culture when things like sentence trees start to bog down a chapter. Oh, and spoiler alert: it's well-written.
7. THE ART OF TRAVEL BY ALAIN DE BOTTON: When we're given free time from school or work, what's the first thing we think to do? Travel, of course! That's no surprise...but why do we do it? What compels us into the unknown, and what do the decisions we make in unfamiliar situations say about who we are? An avid travel writer, philosopher, and all around worldly fella, de Botton gets to da' bottom of these questions to foster a more balanced and mindful perspective—both at home and abroad.
1. MINDSPLOITATION: ASININE ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE ONLINE HOMEWORK CHEATING INDUSTRY BY VERNON CHAPMAN: Did you know there are companies out there willing to write your term papers (for a price)? Comedy writer Vernon Chapman does, and he decided to challenge them to the most absurd assignments he could imagine—and document it all in this book. Prompts include providing a new ending to The Catcher in The Rye, "where Holden Caulfield turns into a crawfish and goes into some kind of retail business," slogans for products like "Brogurt" and "BaboonHeartHam," and dozens of other insane requests—all of which get answered in earnest. With a forward by Louis C.K. and peppered with striking illustrations, the entire book is a comedy concept masterpiece. (Seriously...I get weird looks in public because of how loudly this book makes me laugh.)
2. ORYX AND CRAKE BY MARGARET ATWOOD: If you're a fan of Hulu's latest streaming sensation based on Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, you need to crack this open ASAP. Oryx and Crake is the first in Atwood's trilogy of dystopian novels that she calls "speculative fiction," because the fictional premises are all—sadly—within the realm of possibility. Part unconventional love story, part post-apocalyptic adventure, it's an eerily human look into what life might look like with fewer humans. (Read it now before HBO finally picks up Darren Aronofsky's miniseries adaptation and it's all anyone can talk about.)
3. THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA BY MICHAEL POLLAN: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables. That's Michael Pollan's mantra for a healthy and sustainable diet, and it'll make more sense the deeper you dive into his book. Aside from seriously knowing his stuff, the best part about Pollan is that he doesn't get all preachy about food. He simply presents the facts in a thoughtful and engaging way, and attempts to answer why Americans are so unhealthy on average. Maybe it'll encourage you to change your eating habits, maybe not. Either way, it's an eye-opening look into the evolution of the food industry in the US, and how it affects the decisions we make at the supermarket.
4. EMMA BY JANE AUSTEN: For some, Jane Austen is one of the most important literary greats since Shakespeare—for others...well, they probably haven't read Jane Austen. There's no better time to dig into her most controversial (and depending on how you read it, subversive) literary classic, Emma. (Tuesday marked the bicentennial of Austen's death, which England celebrated by putting her face on the £10 note.) What makes Emma so great is that it's a well-written novel, sure—but with a subtext that is widely debated. Some say Austen is playing into Regency-era standards for women, while others argue she is subtly speaking out against them through the main character. You be the judge.
5. THE PRODUCTIVITY PROJECT BY CHRIS BAILEY: A wise person once said, "Be a skeptic of two things only: Self-help books and day-old shrimp." But as you'll see for yourself in the first few pages, this book is an exception to the former. Chris Bailey has devoted most of his life to combating procrastination by living out extreme experiments that keep him productive—then documenting what works best. There's no singular magic answer for everyone, but there are multiple methods that can work for anyone (with some self-discipline) who's willing to try. Chris is also a friend of ours at Zipcar, and helped us develop a guide to 5 habits of happier more productive workplaces, so we think he's pretty cool.
6. SENSE OF STYLE: THE THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY BY STEVEN PINKER: In a world of constant status updates, witty tweets, and irreverent texts, we're actually writing more than ever. So why not get better at it? Simply put, this book is the most important writer's companion since Strunk and White—maybe even more important. Pinker takes a modern and inclusive look at how the English language can and should be used, abandoning stodgy grammar rules and easily explaining the ones that still matter. He's also great at making this stuff fun to read, adding in humor and pop culture when things like sentence trees start to bog down a chapter. Oh, and spoiler alert: it's well-written.
7. THE ART OF TRAVEL BY ALAIN DE BOTTON: When we're given free time from school or work, what's the first thing we think to do? Travel, of course! That's no surprise...but why do we do it? What compels us into the unknown, and what do the decisions we make in unfamiliar situations say about who we are? An avid travel writer, philosopher, and all around worldly fella, de Botton gets to da' bottom of these questions to foster a more balanced and mindful perspective—both at home and abroad.
