Summer is almost here, and with it, plenty of free time in the sun, sports camps, catching up with friends, and… reading?
Alright, we know that curling up with a great book may not be everyone’s idea of fun, but of all the reasons that reading is good for you, here’s another you might not have considered: college applications!
Schools often ask prospective students to describe a favorite book and explain why it is so meaningful to them, and if you haven’t read anything in a while, it can be a pretty difficult question to answer!
So instead of giving them yet another essay about Lord of the Flies or To Kill a Mockingbird – the standard high school English fare – try something new and different to stand out from the pack.
Here’s some of our top picks for the summer ahead:
‘Dekonstructing the Kardashians’ by MJ Corey
It might seem surprising to start our list with a book about the Kardashians, but we promise, it is so much more! MJ Corey examines how this iconic family’s rise to stardom reveals some really important shifts in the way that media operates in our digital age. The famed creator of the Kardashian Kolloquium, Corey highlights the impacts of our image-centric times on everything from social media stars to the individual consumer.
Recommended for students interested in communication, media studies, business, and marketing – or anyone curious about the ethics and impacts of social media influencers.
‘Yesteryear’ by Caro Claire Burke
We’ve got another good pick if you’re interested in influencers. Burke’s first novel takes a contemporary ‘tradwife’ with a robust TikTok following and transports her to 1855! What is an influencer to do when confronted by the harsh realities of the pioneer history she was merely pretending at? Without the conveniences of modern life, main character Natalie must figure out what it really means to be a woman in America – then and now.
Recommended for students interested in sociology, media and marketing, history, psychology, and women’s studies – honestly, this one is good for just about anyone with a social media presence today.
‘Land’ by Maggie O’Farrell
One of the most anticipated books of the summer, just released on June 2, O’Farrell’s novel digs deep into the author’s Irish roots and surfaces a story that ties together family, history, and landscape. When mapmaker Tomás and his son attempt to complete a survey of the Irish countryside for a British government shortly after the Great Famine, a mystical encounter transforms the family and their relationships to each other and their ancestral home.
Recommended for students interested in history, psychology, ecology, literature, and creative writing – this one is definitely going to be a winning read of 2026.
‘A Fortune of Sand’ by Ruta Sepetys
If you enjoyed The Great Gatsby, you’ll likely love Sepetys’s novel set in the Roaring 20s of Detroit just as the brilliance of the era was starting to fade. In this rather haunting story, the daughter of a wealthy automotive magnate attends an artistic retreat where she uncovers a mystery of disappearing women and the secrets that get buried by those in power.
Recommended for students interested in sociology, political science, and art history – or anyone who appreciates a good gothic mystery.
‘Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism’ by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Ever wonder what it looks like behind the scenes of your favorite social media company? The former director of global public policy at Facebook/Meta has decided to give everyone the inside scoop – and the absurdity of it all will leave you shocked. Wynn-Williams’s memoir delivers exactly what’s in the title: greed and lost idealism when people have a bit too much wealth and influence.
Recommended for students interested in business, communication, technology, public policy, and anyone who’s curious about the dark side of corporate culture.
‘Everything Is Tuberculosis’ by John Green
While we might think tuberculosis is a thing of the past, it is still considered the world’s deadliest disease, especially in many parts of the Global South. Green’s work weaves together science and social history to ask how TB remains so prevalent and threatening today – ultimately showing how poverty, social injustice and global inequities perpetuate the presence of this very curable killer.
Recommended for students interested in medicine, public health, social justice, and healthcare studies – we would strongly suggest this read to anyone planning to pursue public health or global/foreign policy majors.
‘Read Your Mind’ by Oz Pearlman
Mentalist Oz Pearlman’s book is here to teach you the best magic trick of all: overcoming mental blocks! Using insights from his career, Pearlman has created a self-help book sure to help any future undergraduate develop skills to avoid procrastination and self-doubt while building confidence and improving communication. And if you really want to know how to read a room, there’s no better teacher than someone who has built a career on the subtleties of observation and intuition.
Recommended for students of psychology, neuroscience, communication, leadership, behavioral sciences, and anyone willing to take the time for some self-improvement.
‘1929’ by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Every business major and future economist ought to check out Sorkin’s newest book, which takes the stock market collapse of the early 20th century and makes it read like a real thriller – and one still relevant today. The same author who gained bestseller status for his look at the 2008 financial crisis digs into the drama of power, persuasion, and illusion at the heart of the U.S. economy. You’ll learn as much about a pivotal moment in US history as you will about today’s world.
Recommended for students interested in business, economics, finance, history, and political science as well as anyone who likes investing in the stock market.
‘The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence’ by Michael Bhaskar
It almost goes without saying that AI has transformed the world in only a few swift years. For those curious about who is actually responsible for the massive AI systems that are transforming the ways we think about intelligence itself, this one’s for you. Follow the career of Demis Hassabis, founder of Google DeepMind, and learn more about the motivations and ethics of one of the biggest names in machine learning today.
Recommended for students of computer science, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, ethics, and engineering – probably anyone who’s using AI today ought to check out this book.
‘The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich’ by Evan Osnos
Sure, the Kardashians have given us the inside scoop on one wild family’s experiences with being ultra rich, but as the wealth gap continues to grow in this country, what does extreme wealth look like to those who don’t have their own reality television series? Osnos’s essay collection is a realistic and often shocking look at the lifestyles of the richest people in this country – exploring everything from weird obsessions to tax evasion and political influence.
Recommended for students interested in economics, political science, sociology, journalism, public policy, and basically anyone who will admit to having watched multiple seasons of The Kardashians.
‘Abundance’ by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
We would all like to see a better future for ourselves and for the planet, and the ideas are out there – but why aren’t we seeing any of them in action? Klein and Thompson look closely at the politics that often hinder progress, arguing for a kind of political practice that would mediate some of the tensions between left and right while allowing us to meet some of our ambitious goals regarding housing shortages, healthcare, and climate change.
Recommended for students interested in economics, political science, urban planning, public policy, and environmental policy – overall an interesting read for those wondering why progress takes so long!