Reading can deeply enrich your inner life, take you on moving journeys through artistry and the human condition, and sharpen your mind. But perhaps most of all, it can signal to any peers and passersby that you’re an intellectual who’s good at life. With that in mind, here are three of the best books to crack open so that you look super smart on your drive to work.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
This socially conscious sci-fi classic by renowned author Octavia Butler will make it clear to everyone who tries to pass you while you devour this page turner in the left lane that you have your priorities in check. Not only are you reading for pleasure, you’re so rapt that you don’t care if it kills you, or anyone else!
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
This epic text is known by all but read by few. Keep a copy of this 1000+ pager in your Honda, then pull it out and dive into its dense and long-winded prose while you cruise to your 9-5. If the tome gets too heavy for you, prop it up on your steering wheel. The beeps you’ll hear as the light turns green but you’re just a page from the end of a chapter may seem angry and at first, but check again — they’re honks of celebration for you doing what so few of us ever manage and actually reading Don Quixote in a sedan.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
This classic war satire is the perfect choice for reading on your drive to work. With its iconic cover design, your fellow motorists will catch a glimpse of this volume and know exactly how brilliant you are, even if you’re zipping by at 70 mph late to a meeting. Great minds can’t be slowed down!
So, grab one of these esteemed texts and get reading on your commute! Plus, you can take the HOV lane because you’re lugging around that huge brain of yours! Bon voyage, smarty pants!
