My mom is an elementary school librarian, and although I constantly encourage her to stop buying my little cousins books for every birthday and holiday, I did inherit her seemingly genetic love for literature.
I haven’t had as much time to read for leisure at school as I would like, so I had some catching up to do over the month-long break. Here’s what I read and my honest view on whether or not you should read it too!
- “Alias grace” – margaret atwood
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“the seven husbands of evelyn hugo” – taylor jenkins reid
I would claim to be the biggest Atwood fan in the world, but I haven’t finished her entire canon yet, so I’m waiting to cinch this title. Regardless, I am a huge fan of her work, both as a woman and as a writer. “Alias Grace” is no exception to her brilliance. I love this novel and highly recommend it.
It’s a thriller, a love story, a mystery, and a social commentary all in one. Based on the true story of Grace Marks, it follows her history in a way that is enticing while also being telling to the truths of conversations about mental health.
- “Mrs. dalloway” – virginia woolf
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I would not recommend this title.
While I am infatuated by Virginia Woolf and her psyche, female struggle, and ultimate suicide, “Mrs. Dalloway” was not interesting enough for me to recommend.
It was really short, but it was a rather slow read about Clarissa Dalloway’s day in London.
- “Intermezzo” – sally rooney
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If you like Sally Rooney, you like Sally Rooney and “Intermezzo” speaks volumes to that. If you’re not a big fan of her other works, you probably should skip this title.
I really like Rooney’s works and I find her depictions of human complexity to be both challenging and comforting.
“Intermezzo” captures this quality of her writing well as the two main characters navigate grief and relationships. I find that this novel is likely to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, as a lot of art does.
- “little women” – louisa may alcott
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“Little Women” is a staple and therefore I recommend reading it. Truthfully, though, I wish I would’ve read it at a younger age. I think as a younger girl I would’ve related more to the characters and learned more from their struggles.
It’s super cute, though.
- “breath” – tim winton
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Please read this.
“Breath” is a book that is difficult for me to describe but it’s something I wish I could read again for the first time.
Initially I wasn’t sure where the novel was going, but it used the trials of childhood to explain the discomforts of adulthood and, as a young person, I found that somewhat daunting. At the same time, it was nice to learn and understand how I already have the tools to understand what will be coming my way.
- “the seven husbands of evelyn hugo” – taylor jenkins reid
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While this piece wasn’t as thought-provoking as some of the other things I read, I really enjoyed it. It was an entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone in need of some new material.
I related to Hugo’s character in the novel and I liked the way she explained her choices and justified her lack of regret in life. The novel took an unexpected turn at the end and was entertaining from start to finish.
Overall, I had a great break reading these titles and I hope you’re able to enjoy them, too!