If you’re anything like me, this past semester was… rough. Running from class to class and studying profusely for midterms and finals, there wasn’t much time to sit back and relax, or give much thought to hobbies or other extracurricular activities outside of the classroom. For me, when school gets stressful, my hobbies are first to go (along with my already nearly non-existent workout routine), so I try to make up for it over break.
One of the things I feel I slack on most is reading. So for this holiday break, I’ve made it my mission to read at least five books before we go back to school. Will I succeed? Who knows. But in case you want to get out of your reading slump as well, here are a few recommendations across all genres that will certainly pique your interest.
1. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
A sensitive and insightful look at young teen Caden Bosch’s descent into mental illness, Shusterman perfectly encapsulates the pain, fear, and hope that the protagonist and his family feel at the beginning of what will be a lifelong journey. The book features an extended metaphor that creates shockingly accurate parallels between Caden’s reality and delusions. The book is inspired by multiple accounts of mental illness from many different sources, as well as insights from Shusterman’s own son.
2. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
If you loved The Handmaid’s Tale, its sequel is a must read. Set fifteen years after the first book, The Testaments answers many burning questions fans had after the end of the last novel. Especially relevant now against the backdrop of the powerful #MeToo movement, what is perhaps most moving about Atwood’s duology is how relevant it has and will always be. The comparison between the obviously brutal and oppressive dystopia that The Testaments takes place in and our own society today is an unpleasant but necessary juxtaposition.
3. The Nickle Boys by Colson Whitehead
Perhaps most well known for his novel The Underground Railroad, Whitehead brings another riveting and powerful novel, this time about the abuses that occur within the walls of a Florida reformatory school for boys. The book is inspired by the real life Dozier School for Boys, which was briefly the largest juvenile reform institution in the country.
4. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
If you are a fan of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, then you’d better read the second book in preparation for its on screen adaptation! Follow Lara Jean as she and Peter attempt to navigate the trials and tribulations of high school dating, and the introduction of John Ambrose McClaren, who’s character is difficult not to like.
5. Again, But Better by Christina Riccio
Written by one of the most well known “booktubers” on YouTube, this story chronicles a college students adventures while studying abroad, and how it changed her life, which were inspired by the author’s own experiences. If that’s not the most relevant thing for a girl like me who seems to have her entire college experience still stretching out before her, I don’t know what is.
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