Do you love to sink into an amazing story like I do?

Then you need to add these five books to your must-read list.

I love to be entertained when I read, but I really love to be challenged to think while being entertained—and these books do just that.

Grab one (or all!) from your library today:

1. Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster, by Adam Higginbotham

When my neighbor handed me this really thick book about the Chernobyl disaster, I politely took it and immediately tried to think of ways to avoid reading it. When I couldn’t, I cracked open the book only to avoid having to return it unread. I was hooked on the first sentence and finished the mammoth book in just a week.

I was amazed at how the author turned such a technical situation into a nail-biting story that gripped my attention and begged me to learn more. I enjoyed it immensely and felt I learned some significantly valuable historical information at the same time.

2. The Dinner List, by Rebecca Serle

I’m not entirely sure how I read this one through my ugly crying tears, but I am glad that I did. This book devoted to a really unique dinner party makes you think about the important people in your life and helps you question how you might do things differently in the relationships you might take for granted.

It made me pause and make an effort to connect with the people I love in a whole new way each and every day.

3. 11/22/63, by Stephen King

This book is not at all your typical Stephen King. It is the most brilliant book about time travel that I could ever imagine. While I loved the characters and the story, what I found most fascinating was how King thought through every question we might ever have about time travel. There was no stone left unturned and truly made me wonder if perhaps he was not writing from real-life experience.

While I learned a lot about the events leading up to the fateful day of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, I open my mind to so many ideas about how the world may not be entirely as we see it.

4. Come Away with Me, by Karma Brown

This book was beyond beautiful. I feel deeply and madly in love and never wanted it to end. And when it did, I never saw it coming. I won’t spoil anything but…wow!

5. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

This is my all-time favorite book. I have given away more copies than I can count. Not only is it engaging and entertaining, but it makes you question so much about your mind-body-soul relationship.

While it was a fun work of fiction, I found it led me so much deeper into my view of myself and the world and the universe.

Grab one (or more) of these thought-provoking reads for your post-summer reading list.

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