We're all supposed to be excited for summer to begin, but this season can actually be a difficult time for 20-somethings.

You're probably no longer in school, so even though there are trips, barbecues and days at the beach to be had, you don't have three months off solely dedicated to enjoying all of those activities. That has just got to be the worst part of being an adult.

Still, things tend to slow down in the summer for everyone, so hopefully you'll find time for some much-needed R&R&R, rest and relaxation and reading.

And there is one good thing about not being in school anymore: no more summer reading requirements. That means you get to choose what to read without any deadlines whatsoever because you're a grown-up now, and that's what grown-ups do.

However, with great maturity comes great responsibility. With so many books out there to choose from, what are you going to read to have the best summer ever, even if you do have to get up for work the next morning?

You might as well read some books that are going to make this uncertain, experimental time called being a 20-something a little bit more bearable. Luckily, you'll find plenty of coming-of-age novels, memoirs about overcoming adversity and self-help books to give you some perspective as you say goodbye to your childhood and begin the rest of your life.

1. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Whether you saw the 2014 film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's memoir featuring a breathtaking performance by Reese Witherspoon or not, Wild is definitely a good read for anyone that has ever felt lost in their lives. The book details Strayed's epic journey along the Pacific Crest Trail after the death of her mother and the crumbling of her marriage. It's not just about making it to the end of the trail; it's about finding peace within yourself.

2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The story in The Alchemist is deceptively simple. The book chronicles the travels of Santiago, a shepherd boy, as he searches for treasure. Along the way, he travels to various locations and meets many different people. Easy, right? However, the point of the book is to teach us to listen ourselves and the signs all around us to ultimately follow our dreams.

3. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac's 1957 classic defined the Beat Generation, but anyone who picks up this book today will still be able to relate to its message of life's journey to find a place where you belong.

4. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond

Millennials get a bad rap for being self-centered. You'll show them by reading Jared Diamond's seminal analysis of how human societies developed into what we know them as today. By gaining a greater understanding of the way the world worked then, you'll be better able to understand the way it works now.

5. Bossypants by Tina Fey

Everyone tells you to read Bossypants, and I'm going to as well. Tina Fey's memoir is one of the funniest, most heartwarming and most inspiring memoirs in recent years that will help you embrace your weirdness so you can find happiness and success.

6. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends & Influence People is one of the most iconic self-help books of all time. While some of the stories are a bit dated at this point (hey, the book was published about 80 years ago), Dale Carnegie's advice will still help any 20-something find personal and professional success.

7. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou's beautifully written memoir about her journey through adolescence deals with issues of race, body image and sexuality. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will teach you that no matter what adversity you have encountered in your life, you can still find your way to freedom.

8. The Interestings by Weg Wolitzer

If you want to see your life flash before your eyes, read The Interestings, a novel that follows six characters that met at a summer camp as teens through their middle age. The Interestings will show you that life doesn't always work out the way you expect, which is a lesson learned sooner rather than later.

9. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is just philosophical enough to keep any 20-something interested. The book tells the story of a man and a woman's love affairs with each other and other people, and it is all about finding true meaning.

10. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Life is unfortunately about loss, and Joan Didion explores this in her deeply personal memoir about dealing with the sudden death of her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, as her daughter was ill in the hospital. The Year of Magical Thinking will show anyone how to grieve and, ultimately, how to move on.

11. One Day by David Nicholls

Just because that one got away doesn't mean they're out of your life completely. David Nicholls' romantic novel One Day follows the concurrent lives of classmates Dexter and Emma on the same day every year after they have a one-night stand on the day of their college graduation. One Day shows how people and love come in and out of their lives and how it's never too late to be happy.

12. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

Alison Bechdel's humorous and heartbreaking graphic memoir about coming out as a lesbian in college and soon discovering that her father is also gay is all about coming to terms with your identity and how those around us play an important role in shaping it as well.

13. Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Ah, the power of nature. In this book, Henry David Thoreau details his days of simple living in a cabin on Walden Pond. Walden will teach you to stop looking at Instagram and start looking within every once in a while.

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