Winter Reading List
The holidays get me excited for a lot of reasons, but most of all, I get to read my own books. No textbooks, no 100-year-old classics, just me and a plain old trashy YA novel.
That being said, I always struggle to find that perfect book to relax with. Something easy-going, with a little bit of drama, you know?
With that said, I’ve crafted a list of 5 books for you to read this holiday- there’s something for everyone, from sci-fi to the poetically-oriented!
1. If you’re a die-hard romantic… Looking for Alaska by John Green.
You’ve probably read, if not watched, The Fault in Our Stars and bawled your eyes out. Well, this is round two. When Miles moves to a boarding school, he meets a girl who dumps him into her dark world of chaos and destruction. Don’t worry, this one’s a little more uplifting than The Fault in Our Stars, maybe…
2. If you’re feeling a little bit blue… The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
If you haven’t already read The Bell Jar, you’re missing out. Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel questions sexuality and relays her eventual spiral into depression. This novel was received with bewilderment from prim and proper ‘60s book clubs, as it was one of the first to tackle these taboos. To this day, it’s an important read.
3. If you can’t get enough of academia…The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.
Don’t judge this book by the giant bug on the cover. As you probably know, The Metamorphosis was first written by Ovid; it’s about the changing of gods, demi-gods and heroes. Kaffka was a modernist writer who desperately wanted to show that everyday people also have the propensity for change. The book delves into the question of responsibility: what happens if a family member becomes “useless”? Will you still care for them? * Perk: it’s only 70 pages!
4. If you love non-fiction… Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan.
An intriguing disorder called Anti-NMDA Receptor Autoimmune Encephalitis. A complex and terrifying journey through the disease. Susannah Cahalan recounts her journey from being a “normal” 24 year old, to being strapped to a gurney in a hospital room. She felt like her “brain was on fire.”
5. If you want to be propelled into another world… The King Killer Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
This trilogy (plus a novella) is one story. Although I’m not really a fantasy reader, I’ve watched both my sister and boyfriend gobble these books in one 10-hour sitting. Since I can’t really talk about something I haven’t read, I’ll pull a quick excerpt from Goodreads: “Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen…A high-action story written with a poet’s hand, The Name of the Wind (the first book) is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.”
