Photo Courtesy of class of 2022 graduate Taryn Lonsbrough

  With summer in session, San Luis Obispo High School students and staff are finding themselves with more time to relax, kick back, and read a good book. Here are a few book recommendations from english teachers and avid student readers on campus. 

If you are looking for an exciting and scandalous romance novel, students recommend adding these three novels and series’ to your list:

1. ”The Risk” series by author Elle Kennedy. “It is my favorite book, which is the first of a series. I like the plot line that includes serial killers and FBI agents,” said 2022 SLOHS graduate Makenna Osterfeld. 
2. “The Unhoneymooners” by author Christina Lauren. “One book that I recommend to everyone would be The Unhoneymooners. It has such an entertaining plot that keeps readers engaged,” said senior Avery White. 
3. “Twilight” by author Stephenie Meyer. This series, along with the corresponding movies, are popular titles known for plots filled with fantasy and romance elements. 

Teachers may be morally obligated to not pick favorite students, but english educators can and have chosen their all-time favorite novels, listed below:

1. “1984” by author George Orwell and the “Harry Potter” series by author J. K. Rowling are classic favorites for english teacher Sholeh Prochello, which pertain to science fiction and fantasy genres, respectively. 
2. “Middlemarch” by George Eliot and “The Grapes of Wrath” by author John Steinbeck, which both surround themes of historical fiction, sit at the top of the list for AP Literature & Composition teacher Ivan Simon.

Both students and teachers are already well into their summer reading lists, with many of the avid readers reaching towards finishing upwards of 20-30 novels just over the summer break. Below are some of the notable titles which will be finding their way into the finished stack: 

1. “Dubliners” by James Joyce. “I plan on reading this while in Dublin this summer,” said Simon. 
2. Any Agatha Christie novels. “I am hoping to read some Agatha Christie this summer. I don’t have an exact title, but I’ve been getting more into mysteries lately,” said Prochello. 
3. “Malibu Rising” by author Taylor Jenkins Reid, which is a romance and historical fiction novel. 
4. “All Your Perfects” by author Colleen Hoover. “I also want to read All Your Perfects, which is about a recovering marriage. Romance/Rom Coms would probably be my favorite genre to read,” said Osterfeld. 

You may be seeing titles, such as a few listed below, which may be immersed in the curriculum for SLOHS next year, or simply on the must-reads list for Prochello and Simon this year. Be on the lookout for these titles:

1. “Project Hail Mary” by author Andy Weir. “I don’t want to give too much away, but it is an intriguing, hilarious, and wholesome sci-fi tale that explores an unexpected friendship,” said Prochello.
2. “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by author  Benjamin Alire Saenz. “Luckily, the English Department is adopting a new curriculum for next year that will feature a more diverse range of writers. We actually just got a set of books recently that I was hoping for, including this set,” said Prochello.
3. “The Ministry for the Future” by author Kim Stanley Robinson. “I usually don’t read science fiction but this is a fascinating work of speculative fiction that addresses with clarity and realism global warming and so many other contemporary issues.  I think this novel may be worth adding to the curriculum,” said Simon. 
4. “How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from the Moth” by authors Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers, and Jenifer Hixson. This collection of passage is one that Simon will be diving into over the break.