I’m trying to read more this year than I have in years past. I’ve done a decent job of finishing books during the spring semester, but I’m really hoping to knock out some pages during the summer months when there’s a little less going on than when I’m taking classes. Here are four books I’m currently reading.

1. It, Stephen King

This book has been on my mental “to read” list for years, but its size always intimidated me. However, since there’s a movie coming out this fall (a movie with an incredibly creepy trailer), I decided to take the plunge and make this my summer project. I’m growing to really like King’s writing style. He wields an impressive vocabulary, yet he does so unostentatiously. He knows how to build horror well, but his novel is much more than that, featuring engaging characters, notes of humor, and a good sense of adventure, all meshing together quite nicely. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite stories.

2. The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

Larson tells the stories of two men whose work dramatically affected Chicago in the late 1800s, Daniel H. Burnham, the architect behind the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and H. H. Holmes, the infamous serial killer of the fair. I’m not very far into this book, but I’m finding the story fascinating.

3. A Hunger for God, John Piper

Prayer has long been a weak area of my devotional life. I can study a passage and discern principles and lessons, and I can make notes of interesting things I find, but I still struggle to pray. Although Piper’s book deals more with fasting so far, it is challenging me to evaluate my spiritual life as a whole to determine what I desire more than God. I pray that God will use this book to awaken my heart to love prayer, and that I will grow closer to the Lord through the reading.

4. Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis

After reading a couple of Lewis’ shorter works (The Great Divorce and The Abolition of Man), I wanted to read Lewis’ account of his conversion to Christianity. As Lewis traces his journey, he tells stories of his early life and experiences, showing his first encounters with Joy, his first attempts at storytelling, and his reflections on education. Lewis is funnier than I expected him to be in this book, making this book a great treat to read.