For many people, the summer months symbolize pleasure reading at its best.

It's a time to indulge in the texts that are most appealing, without scrutiny: an easy beach read, a guilty pleasure, or that book you've always meant to start.

But students at America's most prestigious private schools must still endure the rigors of homework during their summer vacations with a little reading — some required, some merely recommended. The titles cover issues such as war, sexuality, and racial history.

Check out the books current seniors at prestigious private schools across the US added to their libraries:

SEE ALSO: 14 things that are harder to get into than Stanford

The Hotchkiss School — Lakeville, Connecticut

Students must read three books of their choosing plus the required items below:

Read (novel) — "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien

Read (novel) — "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie

Watch — "The Hunger Games" (2012)

Read (poem) — "A Work of Artifice," by Marge Piercy

Trinity School — New York, New York

Students can choose to read one or more of the books on the list below and then participate in informal discussion groups in the fall:

"Alice in Wonderland," by Lewis Carroll

"All the Light We Cannot See," by Anthony Doerr

"The Boys in the Boat," by Daniel James Brown

"Catch-22," by Joseph Heller

"Closely Watched Trains," by Bohumil Hrabal

"Color of Magic," by Terry Pratchett

"Crime and Punishment," by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Deep," by James Nestor

"The Martian," by Andy Weir

"The Old Man and the Sea," Ernest Hemingway

"The Wind in the Willows," Kenneth Grahame

Deerfield Academy — Deerfield, Massachusetts

Students must read four books that they choose from a list of over 50. Titles on the list include:

"Half of a Yellow Sun," by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"The Circle," by Dave Eggers 

"A Clockwork Orange," by Anthony Burgess

"The Universe and The Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty," by K.C. Cole

"Invisible Man," by Ralph Ellison

"Madame Bovary," by Gustave Flaubert

"To The Lighthouse," by Virginia Woolf

Lilliana Vazquez, style expert and founder of The LV Guide, tells us everything we need to know when buying a new pair of jeans.

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With Carrie Fisher's death on Tuesday, the world is looking back on her incredible life and career, where she'll always be remembered most for playing the iconic role of Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" franchise. 

But Fisher was so much more than just a princess in a galaxy far, far away.

Along with being a best-selling author and script doctor, she also had close to 90 screen credits over a 41-year career. It's a wide-range selection from the supportive girlfriend in "When Harry Met Sally" to playing Peter's boss in "Family Guy."  

Here we highlight the roles Fisher played in both movies and TV outside of the "Star Wars" saga. 

SEE ALSO: The awesome life and career of "Star Wars" icon Carrie Fisher

"Shampoo" (1975)

In her first movie role, Fisher plays one of the girls who can't resist the looks and charm of hairdresser George (played by Warren Beatty).

"The Blues Brothers" (1980)

Fisher plays a woman determined to kill her ex-fiancée Jake Blues (John Belushi) in the most sensational ways possible. She never succeeds, and left instead are some outrageous moments in a comedy classic.   

"Under the Rainbow" (1981)

Never shy to star in movies that went against the grain ("Star Wars" certainly was that), here Fisher stars opposite Chevy Chase in an outlandish comedy set in a LA hotel where auditions for "The Wizard of Oz" are being done. (Yeah, this one is out there!) 

Heather Stoltz knows how to sell a home in San Francisco's hot real-estate market. When she put this micro apartment up for sale, she instantly had people lining up to view the space. It seemed that the prospective buyers had no problem with the price tag or the size: $425,000 for 232 square feet. It sold for just under asking price.

Step inside this micro apartment where a little space and creativity can go a long way.

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Watch the full video "Real Estate Wars" and more from Business Insider on Prime Video.

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There's nothing quite like a shiny, jet-age Airstream trailer. Towing one behind your vehicle, or simply parking one in your driveway, says that you appreciate classic, 20th-century, cutting-edge design.

The original Airstream — a sleek, shimmering object of rolling art — was introduced in the 1930s. The lineup has grown over the decades, and the smallest trailer, the Sport Series, has now been outdone by the Basecamp Series.

Described by the company as "our most nimble Airstream yet," the Basecamp is the "very definition of get-up-and-go."

What Airstream is aiming for here is both the highly adventurous and outdoorsy crowd. These are the folks who want to suit up in head-to-toe Patagonia and head out with friends for a weekend of rock climbing, as well as the hardcore camping enthusiasts who don't need, or have room for, a full-on Airstream trailer.

The Basecamp, Airstream said in a statement, is "compact, light, and easy to tow, and the perfect place to land after a day of adventure."

The newest Airstream is quite full-featured for its size, with a bathroom and shower, a kitchen, and a built-in Bluetooth speaker.

“We designed Basecamp to rekindle the desire to explore nature and get outdoors,” said CEO Bob Wheeler in a statement.

“Whether it’s for the long-time camper who has a garage full of high-end gear that’s no longer used, or for the person who has always wanted to get out more but was hesitant, Basecamp is the passport to unimaginable new experiences.”

The new trailer weighs 2,585 lbs. and according to Airstream can be towed by smaller crossovers and SUV that are properly outfitted with a hitch.

The Basecamp started deliveries in October, with a price of $34,900. Heck, I'm thinking about getting one and putting it in my back yard to use as a hipster guest cottage!

SEE ALSO: Tesla owners are insanely happy with their cars

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NOW WATCH: 'Glamping' is camping with style

"New year, new you," the oft-repeated saying goes. But that doesn't just mean reading more and finally making use of your neglected gym membership.

No, this year is the one in which you finally decide to start caring about your appearance. We're not going to lie — it won't be easy. But the boost of confidence it'll give you is well worth the effort.

Here are eight style resolutions every guy should make — and keep — in 2017.

SEE ALSO: Why every guy should absolutely wear a watch every single day

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Figure out your skincare regimen.

Everyone from your dermatologist to your therapist has told you that you need to start moisturizing. Make 2017 the year you finally learn how to take care of your body's largest organ.

Here's the easiest way to do it »

Finally find a tailor.

Sure, your clothes probably fit you well enough. But let's be honest, the extra bunch of fold of fabric in your suit has always been bothering you, and those sleeves that are just a little too long could look better.

Resolve to find a tailor to fix these issues in 2017 — and always be looking your best and, most importantly, your most confident.

Suss out how to get the haircut you really want.

Every guy knows how to get a haircut. Not every guy knows how to get the haircut they really want. There's a specific jargon that you can use when talking to your barber that will make it easier for him to know exactly how you would like your hair to be cut.

This year, consult a guide to have your hair looking exactly how you want, not just good enough.

Actress Debbie Reynolds, the mother of Carrie Fisher, has suffered a medical emergency — possibly a stroke — according to TMZ.

EMTs rushed to the home of her son, Todd Fisher, in Beverly Hills just after 1 p.m. local time, according to TMZ.

Reynolds, 84, lost her daughter, Carrie Fisher, on Tuesday. Fisher had suffered a heart attack on a flight last Friday.

Reynolds posted a touching tribute on Facebook after her daughter's death. Fisher began her acting career sharing the Broadway stage with her mother in the 1973 production of "Irene."

Reynolds is known for her iconic roles in movies like "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," for which she received an Oscar nomination.

Business Insider reached out to Reynolds' reps for comment but did not receive an immediate response.

SEE ALSO: The awesome life and career of "Star Wars" icon Carrie Fisher

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NOW WATCH: 10 details you may have missed on the season finale of 'Westworld'

Professional email etiquette can be a minefield. You don't want to be stuffy and formal, but appearing overly casual with colleagues or clients doesn't make a great impression either.

We asked business etiquette experts to offer some insight into common email closings to see what most of us were during wrong.

Turns out, it's a lot.

Produced by Arielle Berger. Original reporting by Jacquelyn Smith.

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Debbie Reynolds, the mother of Carrie Fisher, died Wednesday at the age of 84, a day after the death of her daughter.

"It's true, she's with Carrie," Reynolds' son, Todd Fisher, told Reuters.

The legendary Hollywood actress is best known for her roles in the musical "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," which brought her an Oscar nomination.

Here's a look back on the iconic life of Debbie Reynolds:

SEE ALSO: Debbie Reynolds, mother of Carrie Fisher, dead at 84

Debbie Reynolds, newly engaged to Eddie Fisher, steps from her automobile on Oct. 27, 1954 in Beverly Hill, California.

Fisher and his fiancée Reynolds, gaze into each other's eyes at Idlewild Airport, April 19, 1955 in New York after arriving from England.

Reynolds entertains at the 8th Army headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, May 23, 1955.

While there have been plenty of newsworthy, powerful, and deeply moving photographs created this year— there's also been a handful of playful, humorous moments that the Reuters award-winning team of photographers have captured.

While some of these photos are bizarre for their lack of context, others are just simply bizarre.

Take a light-hearted look back at the year 2016, below.

Captions by Reuters and Sarah Jacobs. 

SEE ALSO: 50 stunning moments captured by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters photography team in 2016

People watch a street performer in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Three-year-old Oliver Quiros competes dressed as an astronaut riding a space shuttle in the Haunted Heats Halloween Surf Contest in Santa Monica, California.

A man plays flaming bag pipes as opponents of fracking protest outside the offices of Ineos in Scotland, Britain.

Founded in 1832 by Yale students, the elitist, members-only Skull and Bones has since become one of America's most revered and snubbed secret societies. And whether loved or hated, the society's alumni include some of the most powerful men in the world.

Jenner Deal and Christina Sterbenz contributed reporting to an earlier version of this article. Original reporting by Abby Jackson.

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Cars clogged the streets of Borehamwood, England, an outlying suburb of London, for decades. But in the mid-1990s, the town added new pedestrian-only areas to its center.

The change transformed the town, according to Esther Kurland, the director of Urban Design London, a nonprofit that connects urban designers and planners in the city.

"This was one of the first ‘traffic calming’ shared space schemes in the country," Kurland tells Business Insider. "And I was fascinated in how the behavior of both drivers and pedestrians changed." 

Borehamwood is just one example of the way innovative public space can improve the lives of an area's inhabitants. To find more, we reached out to urban designers and planners around the world. They told us about spaces that have been game-changers for cities, that inspired them to go into the field, and that they simply find stunning.

Here are 15 of the world's most beautiful parks, libraries, streets, and plazas, according to people who design them for a living.

SEE ALSO: This insane bamboo treehouse doesn't use any nails or screws

Millennium Park in Chicago, Illinois.

"It was clearly a game-changer, not only for Chicago and the real estate that surrounds the park, but for its influence on cities everywhere," says Carol Coletta, the VP of Community and National Initiatives for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Coletta manages millions of dollars annually in grants for city design, and says Millennium Park is the ideal public space. Intended to celebrate the second millennium, the 25-acre park hosts public art and events.

"Lurie Garden, tucked in the park’s southeast corner, is one of my favorite places in the world that somehow manages to remain deeply calming in the midst of the chaos of the larger park," she says.

Spruce Street Harbor Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bordering an urban beach, Spruce Street Harbor Park features colorful lights at night and hammocks for lounging.

It "was intended to be a temporary intervention — really a desperate move for a very tough location separated from Philadelphia’s Old City by a wide and busy road," Coletta explains. "But it keeps going and going because people keep coming and coming. It is a simple, loving intervention whose design elements have been widely copied." 

The central square in Seaside, Florida.

Building a new residential housing development that actually feels like a small town is almost impossible, says Steve Mouzon, the founder of Mouzon Design.

But the founder and developer of Seaside, Florida did just that, using public space to foster a new independent, tight-knit community.

"The developer had the audacity to build a town square, with a post office, a grocery, a bookstore, and a collection of other restaurants and shops with apartments above," Mouzon explains. "Never mind that the post office wasn’t a sanctioned US Post Office, but rather ganged mailboxes installed inside a tiny civic building. Because the mailboxes wore civic clothing, people behaved in a civic way. And even though Seaside has never been incorporated as a town, people nonetheless behave in neighborly ways."

Drones are everywhere, from the battlefield to the backyards of America. 

In 2013, when the first consumer drones began arriving on the market, photographer Amos Chapple knew he needed one. After purchasing a drone, he traveled the world photographing famous landmarks — before some governments had time to roll out regulations on drone use.

"There was a window of about 18 months where it was possible to fly these things anywhere and people were excited to see it. I'm glad I made use of that time," Chapple says.

Now, with drone use illegal in many of these locations, his collection of beautiful drone images are some of the only aerial photos of their kind. Chapple shared many of them with us. You can find more on his website.

Christian Storm co-authored a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: The 30 most stunning photos Business Insider took in 2016

Amos Chapple captures the world's most famous landmarks as rarely seen.

When the commercial drone first hit the market in 2013, Chapple says he sifted through new product reviews to find the model that would help his art take flight.

Finally, Chinese technology company DJI came out with version one of the Phantom quadcopter drone, which cost about $470. Chapple was sold.

Between Broadway shows, towering department stores, and $200-a-head tasting menus, New York City has no shortage of ways to blow all your cash.

But, luckily, the city is also home to plenty of affordable activities that make it possible to live here without going bankrupt. So when my friend Kelly came up from Philadelphia for a recent weekend visit, I intended to strike a balance between showing her the magic of New York and sticking to my budget. 

Kelly agreed. Thanks to multiple weddings, bridal showers, and bachelorette parties on both our schedules for the fall, we knew we wanted to keep our weekend together cheap. 

Despite aiming to keep our expenses low, we still managed to fit in plenty of food, exploring, and classic New York sightseeing. In total, we spent less than $50 per person on food and activities for the entire weekend.

Here's everything we were able to fit in.

SEE ALSO: I moved to New York City 2 years ago — here’s what I tell my friends who say they can’t afford to

SEE ALSO: The 12 most affordable countries for Americans to travel to right now

Kelly arrived around 8 p.m. on Friday night, and we headed straight to dinner. We met up with a few friends at Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, where we filled up on the joint’s classic artichoke slice.

Known for its late-night crowd and huge, creamy pieces of pizza, Artichoke is a must-try for anyone visiting New York. We went to the one in Park Slope, but there are locations throughout the city, including the original on 14th Street.   

Cost: $5 per slice … but trust me, one slice is more than enough.

From dinner, we headed to a nearby dive bar called High Dive.

You can’t beat the prices at $6 per beer, and it was a fun way to see some of Park Slope’s local flavor.

I had an early morning run planned for the next day, so I stuck to one drink.

Cost: $7 with tip

I’m training for a half marathon, so I got up with the sun to go running, and Kelly decided to join.

While I don’t advocate forcing guests to exercise against their will (she volunteered!), going for a run or walk is far and away the best way to see a city in my opinion.

As we cruised through the tree-lined streets of picturesque neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights, I got to show Kelly all the little things that make New York — and Brooklyn in particular — great, such as historic brownstones and cute coffee shops.

Cost: Free!

Everybody should be prepared with a bag of essentials for when disaster strikes. Survival expert Tim Macwelch, author of "How To Survive Anything," shows us what you need to have packed and ready. 

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The highest bridge in the world has opened over the Beipanjiang Valley in China. It's 1,800 feet above the ground, or the equivalent of a 20-story building.

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If you pay close attention to Business Insider's Strategy vertical, you'll notice we frequently share productivity tips from an expert we've just interviewed, a book we've just read, or new research we've just scoured.

And we admit it can be a little daunting to keep up with all the advice out there.

So, since you're here to learn how to make better use of your time, we thought we'd save you some and round up the best productivity tricks out there.

To do this, we asked some of the experts we trust to share how they get it all done.

Here's their favorite productivity advice:

SEE ALSO: 18 bad habits you should break in 2017 to be more productive

DON'T MISS: 11 TED talks that can help you become insanely productive

Associate something you love with something you want to accomplish

"Pick a ritual that you love — for me this ritual is the morning coffee — and connect it to a productivity-related activity — in my case it has to do with writing.

"So I connect something I love, which is the coffee ritual, to something else that I love in principle, but not every moment of it, which is writing. It's an almost conditioned response, where I start working and I'm enjoying the coffee and the writing at the same time."

— Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke and author of "Payoff"

Be more compassionate

"My top productivity tip? Compassion. Wait, what? Aren't productivity tips typically about shifting mindset, single tasking, deep focus, working in pulses, and a host of other useful tools? Yes. And all those tools can help us be fantastically productive, effective, and even more creative.

"But what compassion recognizes is that we're human. We're going to have stupid days, when nothing seems to go right. We just will. There will be times when we're going to be distracted, unmotivated, scattered, when some crisis at work or in life kept us up all night, or when we're feeling just plain overwhelmed.

"But rather than beat ourselves up, sink into paralyzing negativity, or ruminate endlessly on what went wrong or how we failed, compassion enables us to forgive ourselves, to learn what we can, to see that it's all about practicing, to let go of perfection, and, lightly and with grace, move forward and try again."

— Brigid Schulte, author of "Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time" and director of The Good Life Initiative/ Better Life Lab at New America

Make accomplishing your task a necessity

"A key to maximizing productivity is to forget about what you already know — or think you know — about motivation. We typically assume that there's a direct correlation between how much we want to achieve a given outcome and how likely we are to actually achieve it.

"However, there's a much more constructive way to think about motivation: that's to think of it as something you must 'custom manufacture' for each and every goal you wish to achieve. By custom manufacture, I mean to deliberately and creatively put yourself in situations that make you urgently feel like it's necessary

"Here's my favorite example: After failing time and time again to stick with his good intention to exercise daily, Joe custom manufactured a situation that changed everything. He simply agreed to from now on own only one stick of underarm deodorant and keep that one stick of deodorant in his locker at the gym. So the only way he could spare himself from the mortifying embarrassment of stinking all day was to go to the gym. Once he was there, he would feel too foolish about just using his deodorant and leaving, so he would stay and exercise. Joe essentially tricked himself into doing what he intended to do, and eventually exercising daily became a self-sustaining habit."

— Steve Levinson, clinical psychologist and author of "The Power to Get Things Done"

It's easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind and let the stress pile on.

And getting rid of that stress often seems exponentially difficult. 

So if you're looking for a way to escape, here are some science-backed ways to decompress — even if you can't get away from the things that are stressing you out.

SEE ALSO: 15 healthy eating habits that work according to scientists

DON'T MISS: Science-backed ways to stay focused all day

Get a massage.

Yes indeed, getting a massage may be a great way for some of us to relieve stress and relax. 

One small study looking at the effect of back massages on Japanese students preparing for exams found that people who got them had less muscle stiffness and lower levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. Some caveats though: the study was small, and it didn't have a control group. In other words, there's no way to know if they'd sent another group of people into a quiet room and not given them massages that they wouldn't have seen similar results, perhaps just from being isolated from their studies.

Meditate.

Meditation is often seen as a great way to relax, and many studies back up that idea. In a meta-analysis looking at several studies of relaxation training in people with anxiety, the observed effects of meditation were greater than those observed for other intentional relaxation techniques, such as autogenic training (a process that involves making your body feel heavy and warm) and applied relaxation. Other studies have also outlined its effect as an anti-anxiety and antidepressant method.

Want to learn how to meditate? Check out this nifty graphic.

Exercise regularly.

The key to a relaxed mind is a relaxed body, according to the Harvard Medical School: "The relaxed body will, in turn, send signals of calm and control that help reduce mental tension."

One way to relax the body is by exercising. It may sound counterintuitive, but working out can help the body release mood elevating hormones, like endorphins, and reduce levels of stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol.

Winter is an extreme season in many climates, so regardless of where you live, you should be sure your wardrobe can handle a dip in the mercury.

We've put together a list of 15 of the most important pieces no guy should even think of braving the year's coldest season without. From sweaters to scarves to woolen socks, these are the items that will have you looking appropriately stylish without feeling the need to mutter "it's cold" every few minutes.

Keep in mind that these are only the basics — there are no deep cuts here. If you don't have all of these, we suggest scooping up the holes in your closet quick.

SEE ALSO: 8 New Year's style resolutions every guy should make

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A seasonally appropriate tweed sport coat.

Cold weather and rougher fabrics go hand-in-hand, which means a tweed sport coat is an absolute necessity.

This smart blazer from Brooks Brothers is perfect for when you need an extra layer during a night out on the town.

A go-to sweater that goes with everything in your closet.

A good example is this one form Everlane. It's ribbed pattern adds personality, and the wool and cashmere blend is both comfortable and practical.

You'll want to throw it over everything.

A warm and cozy flannel will be the most comfortable item in your closet.

If you think flannels are just for lumberjacks, you might want to think again.

This Steven Alan flannel is beautiful and minimalist. It goes equally well under a blazer or a denim jacket.