Over a quarter of adults in America report that they haven’t read even a single book in the last year. It’s especially hard for college students to make time to read for fun, whether you were a reader in high school or not. College students read so much for classes in general, from textbooks to assigned novels, that we aren’t as inclined to read even more during our free time.
These book recommendations are specifically for people who don’t like to read or don’t read often. They’re excellent books for anyone but are especially great for getting people into reading in the first place. That means that none of these books take a long time for the story to get started and the reader to get invested. They’re easy to pick up and read for short periods of time, without extremely convoluted details you’d have to remember. Most importantly, these books all have an engaging story and characters that will hook you and make you want to keep reading. They’re true experiences that will make even those most reading-averse people enjoy them.
“Daisy Jones & the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
historical fiction – music – drama – romance
“Daisy Jones & the Six” is a book that I would recommend to every single person. It’s the perfect novel for someone who doesn’t read very often or at all. The story is written as though it’s an oral history being told by the characters, which makes it incredibly quick and easy to read and you feel like you’re right in on all of the action. “Daisy Jones & the Six” follows a 1970s band of the same name that released a single smash hit album and then had a mysterious and sensational break-up during their world tour. The book is an oral history of the band members and other major characters telling their story from the perspective of the present-day about what really happened during the band’s meteoric rise and fall. It truly embraces the idea of “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll,” as the drama-filled story follows larger-than-life characters through fame, addiction, and love. “Daisy Jones & the Six” is fast-paced and exciting, and once you pick it up you will immediately want to know how it will end and won’t be able to put it down.
“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover
contemporary drama – romance – emotional – relationships
The best part of “It Ends With Us” is that it drops you into the story immediately, introducing the main character, Lily, and one of her future love interests, Ryle, on the very first page. From the beginning, you feel like you know these characters, and that emotional connection is sustained throughout the book. Not only will you effortlessly care about the characters, the continuous plot twists and reveals will keep you turning the pages. There are no dull moments in this constantly surprising and powerful story as a woman confronts domestic abuse and past and present lovers.
“Beartown” by Fredrik Backman
drama – coming of age – sports – family
“Beartown” tells the story of a small Swedish town where the only thing going for the community is its boys’ hockey team, on which the entire town rests its hopes and dreams for the future. A violent act puts all of this at risk as the town is torn apart by secrets and accusations. “Beartown” is both personal, telling intimate stories about specific members of the town, and also universal, telling the story of the whole community. Backman’s writing is compulsive, and once you’ve started reading you won’t want to put the book down. “Beartown” sensitively tells an explosive story that demands to be read.
“Layoverland” by Gabby Noone
fantasy – rom-com – contemporary
You’ll never read a book quite like “Layoverland,” and I mean this in the best possible way. It follows two teenagers, Bea and Caleb, who have died and end up in purgatory, stuck atoning for their sins until they can make their way to heaven. The only problem? Caleb caused the fatal car crash that killed both himself and Bea, and she knows it. But as they’re stuck in the hilariously mediocre purgatory that is a literal airport, they may be falling for each other. “Layoverland” is funny, heartfelt, and compulsively readable. You’ll never be sure what’s going to happen next, but you’ll know you want to find out.
“Educated” by Tara Westover
memoir – nonfiction – coming of age – family
“Educated” is the staggering memoir of a girl born to religious survivalists who were so completely isolated from modern society that the first time Tara stepped into a classroom was when she was seventeen. Determined to educate herself, Tara overcame violence and estrangement to eventually attend Harvard and Cambridge. Here, she tells her story for herself, from her remote childhood to her experiences in college without formal education or any real-world experience outside of her family’s home. This is a stranger-than-fiction story about a woman finding herself, reinventing herself, and discovering the world under the most unique of circumstances. Everything about this book is unexpected, and Tara’s riveting voice and story is addictive. “Educated” is equally shocking and touching, and the best part is that it’s true.