What 5 College Students Are Reading This Semester

As a college student, books can be a huge part of your life. And while they’re mostly textbooks taking up shelf space, sometimes reading for pleasure is a great way to relax and have a new adventure from the comfort of your dorm. Whether that’s erotic fiction that you picked up from the latest SmutTok recommendations, or a diverse romance with LGBTQIA+ or disability representation, books can entertain, entice and excite you in what can be a stressful college life. 

Here are five college students sharing what they’ve been reading this year, with book recommendations in a variety of genres from romance to fiction to classics that just might introduce you to your next favorite novel.

1. Hannah Tolley, Florida State University

Hannah Tolley has been on a bit of  “a romance kick, specifically anything having to do with best friends to lovers,” lately. 

“My recent faves are Every Summer After and Love And Other Words,” Hannah says. But romance isn’t the only thing that’s been on her mind lately. Like most English students in college, the classics have made an appearance in her reading list and she’s “grown to love older, classic fiction books.” 

Currently Reading: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

2. Nisha, North Carolina State University

Nisha usually picks a writer and makes her way through their entire backlist. 

“Generally, I select a writer and complete reading all the books,” Nisha says. “This year I am reading the science fiction of Cixin Liu [and] the books of Haruki Murakami.” The former is an award-winning science fiction writer who was labeled as the first cyberpunk Chinese author in 1989, while the latter is a Japanese writer with numerous bestselling novels, essays and short stories that have been translated into multiple languages. 

Currently Reading: The works of Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.

3. Jill Schuck, Trinity College in Hartford

Jill Schuck’s tastes run the gamut of fictional subgenres with recent favorites varying from psychological fiction to magical realism to historical fiction. 

“My favorite reads this year have been A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers, Night Bitch by Rachel Yoder, and Lapvona by Otessa Mosfegh,” Jill says. From a satirical tale including a charming psychopath, food and a critique on the definition of gender to a fantasy fiction story about a stay-at-home mom who sometimes turns into a dog, her favorites are as varied as they are unique.

Currently Reading: Psychological fiction.

4. Alyssa Rockwell, North Carolina State University

Alyssa Rockwell’s 2022 favorites mainly stem from the romance and historical fiction sections. 

Her current reading mood is “honestly anything romantic that seems cute but also love a plot twist.” The works of  Colleen Hoover, particularly Reminders of Him, an emotional, hopeful romance about a young mother who returns home with hopes of redeeming herself, makes her favorite reads of the year list. Also in her list are the works of Taylor Jenkins Reid, whose backlist contains BookTok favorite, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and bestselling historical fiction novels, Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones & The Six.

Currently Reading: Romance with a plot twist. 

5. Isabella Gemignani, Casper Libero

Isabella Gemignani’s 2022 reading list includes “a lot of female rage literature and fiction” and “also some BookTok recs.” 

“Some of my favorite reads so far were Donna Tartt (all of them), The Stranger by Camus, The Norwegian Wood by Murakami, The Virgin Suicides, Alone With You in the Ether, and A Certain Hunger,” Isabella says. Her favorite reads cover a wide variety of authors and genres from an existential fiction novella to a romantic, coming-of-age tale of loss and sexuality to a psychological love story, and more.

Currently Reading: Female rage literature.

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