Recommended Reading

Summer Reading

by Ronda Cooper

Reading this summer? I hope so. Recently while attending a tour of colleges in Colorado I met Ralph Figueroa. You may be asking who? Ralph is the college admission counselor featured in the book The Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg. If you want to better understand the admission process of a premier college, read The Gatekeepers. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and after Ralph confirmed that it is very factual, I recommend the read.

If you are not interested in “The Gatekeepers” consider a book or two from the following lists. Afterall, reading increases your vocabulary, helps you become a better writer and score better on your ACT or SAT tests. Reading allows you to gain knowledge or simply to escape into a place of fantasy. Keep your mind busy. Finally, MANY colleges like to ask you to talk about your favorite book or what you have recently read. I want you to be prepared. Have a great summer and keep a list of all the books you read.

101 Great Books recommended for College-Bound Readers: visit www.collegeboard.com/students

The Holland Hall Book Club’s Summer List:

1. “Emma” by Jane Austen
2. “100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
3. “Adam Bede” by George Eliot
4. “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown
5. “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck
6. “Honeymoon in Purda” by Alison Wearing
7. “Catch 22″ by Joseph Heller
8. “Book Thief” by Markus Zu
9. “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”
by J.K. Rowling
10. “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen