As summer approaches and the weather gets warmer, Florida State University’s (FSU) campus is chock full of students sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine. Predictably, a good amount of those students are reading books. I, an incredibly nosy person, want to know what those books are. After being inspired by Erin Hunzi’s “What People are Reading in NYC” Tik Tok videos, I decided to go around campus and see what everyone was reading. As we go on this journey of a list together, I hope you see something that interests you, and that you realize that there are no book recommendations quite like the ones you receive at FSU.
The Trip: Andy Warhol’s Plastic Fantastic Cross-Country Adventure by Deborah Davis
The Trip is a nonfiction art history novel written by Deborah Davis about American pop artist Andy Warhol. More specifically, about a 1963 road trip Warhol took from New York to LA, and how that trip influenced his life and art. The book is full of notable destinations across America, as well as interesting people he encountered, both famous and not. Besides the artists, socialites, rednecks, and beach bums he met along the way, Warhol also spent time with several celebrities, including but not limited to: Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. This book was described by a reader as “full of history, pop culture, glamour and gossip” and was, somewhat predictably, being read by an art history student.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you’ve been on the internet in the past month, then chances are you’ve already heard of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s smash-hit novel Daisy Jones & The Six; or at least its new Prime Video miniseries. The book is about the fictional band Daisy Jones & The Six and is written in an interview format. The story details their rise and fall as a band, from the very beginning to the very end. Brimming with music, love, drama, and a surprisingly low number of Mick Riva cameos, Reid’s writing transports you into the band’s glittering and fame-filled world. This is one of the two books I’ve read on this list and let me just say, as a Fleetwood Mac fan, get ready for some Silver Springs-level action.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Book Lovers is an adult romance novel by New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry. The story follows cutthroat literary agent Nora Stephens as she traipses around the not-so-idyllic town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina with her beloved sister Libby. Libby has much more planned besides a relaxing vacation and sets Nora off with a list of tasks that will eventually lead to her having a perfect Hallmark-esque happy ending. However, instead of having a meet-cute with a hunky local candle maker (or someone of that nature), Nora keeps running into Charlie Lastra, a prickly book editor she’s previously tried to work with back in the city. As their getaways continue, Nora and Charlie start to realize that even though not everyone is right for a Hallmark romance, love stories can still be found in the most unsuspecting of places—and people. I had to put this book on the list because it’s what I’m currently (re)reading! The best way I can describe it is a book written for book lovers by a book lover.
Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
Yerba Buena is bestselling YA author Nina LaCour’s debut adult novel. It follows two main characters, Sara and Emilie as they make their way through the world and end up working at the same restaurant. Their connection is instant, but their rocky pasts have the power to turn their love story into something star-crossed. Told from two perspectives with two timelines, Yerba Buena is described by readers as bittersweet, and “the kind of book that made me feel good about being alive.”
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: an Arcane History of Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
Babel is the latest release from the award-winning author of The Poppy War series, R.F. Kuang. It’s a high-fantasy epic about the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire. The book is set in 1828 and follows Robin Swift, an orphaned boy who is brought to London to study linguistics in preparation for his enrollment in Oxford University’s Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. Babel is the world’s center for not only translation but magic as well and uses enchanted silver bars to manifest the meanings lost in translation. As Robin continues his studies, he realizes that serving Babel means betraying his native land of China as he assists the British in their pursuit of world colonization. As war looms closer, Robin must decide… “can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?”
Those are just some of the amazing books I saw being read around campus in the past week! All this goes to show is that the next time you need a book recommendation, you don’t have to subject yourself to a BookTok Colleen Hoover review. All you have to do is walk out to Landis Green and have a look around. Happy reading!
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