A pastime that I believe should be practiced more commonly is reading. For the past few years, I have always carried around a book with me in my backpack or purse, because you never know when you will be in a setting that you want to escape into the encapsulating, false reality of literature. In 2024, I set a goal for myself to read twelve books, and I ended up reading seventeen. Before, I would make an excuse for not reading because I was too busy during the day, or I didn’t have an inclination to read because I was constantly reading academic journals and articles in my classes. Yet, I prided myself in designating some of my time, at least before bed to read at least a few chapters of a book every week. I find that this has made me more of a creative thinker, and I genuinely just really enjoy reading literature. That being said, for the majority of my life, I hated reading and avoided reading at all costs. Reflecting, I attribute this negative attitude I had about reading to the fact that I had not yet found books that I found engaging and intellectually stimulating. Here are some of my favorite novels that I have read in the past two years!
The most recent novel that I read is Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. This book follows three estranged, complex sisters coping with the aftermath of the loss of their sister, who overdosed on pain medication for endometriosis. The three sisters are dealing with their own internal battles and simultaneously grieving their beloved sister. Mellors did an excellent job portraying addiction, grief, loss, and identity, and I thought her writing was brilliant yet engaging. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone, as well as Mellors’ other texts.
A fan favorite that I felt it would be remiss if I didn’t mention is Normal People by Sally Rooney. I don’t say this often, but when I say this is worth all the hype, I mean it with every bone in my body. I truly think that every teenager or someone in their twenties should read this book, because Rooney does an incredible job portraying a young love that lacks communication. Normal People reminded me that when you are in your teenage years, everything feels like it’s the absolute end of the world and super complicated, yet everything is so simple at the same time. I have reread this book several times, and each time I finish it, I am incredibly heartbroken and had a very difficult time putting it down.
A novel that I think everyone should read is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I bought this book during 2020 during the Black Lives Matter movement, and ended up rereading it this past Fall in one of my classes. Bennett tells the story of a set of identical twins, Stella and Desiree who are two light-skinned Black teenagers in Louisiana. They ultimately run away as teenagers and split up in hopes of having a better life. One of them passes as a white person, and the other is left behind. This is a multigenerational story, that explores racial identity, racial passing, and loss. I truly think everyone should add this on their reading list.
Over Winter Break, I read Still Alice by Lisa Genova, which follows a fifty-year-old Harvard professor, who battles her early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Before reading this, I knew little to nothing about Alzheimer’s, and I think Genova did a fantastic job portraying an Alzheimer’s patient and also the family members dealing with a loved one affected by the disease. Reading this novel gave me so much compassion for the diagnosed patient, as well as their loved ones.