5 Books To Keep Reading Through The Spring Semester
By: Lanie Brice ‘24
The start of the new semester always means a major loss of reading momentum for me. I read 15 or so books over the three weeks of holiday break, but I’ll be lucky to read 15 over the course of the entire semester. I maybe get to five. We all have to do so much reading for classes that it’s easy to let the joy of reading evaporate. I’ve compiled a list of 5 books that range from romance to general fiction to essays to YA and nonfiction to hopefully inspire you to keep reading for fun even as the semester gets busy. All of these books are either fast reads that are easy to get swept up in or designed so that they can be read over a long period of time without missing a beat.
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
We’re all looking for an escape right now, and there’s nothing better to provide that than getting swept up in a romance. Rachel Lynn Solomon’s most recent release perfectly fits the bill (and happens to be my current read of the moment). Rachel’s books never disappoint on delivering swooney yet realistic romances that feel grounded. Weather Girltakes readers inside of a Seattle TV news station where the meteorologists start working together to bring their divorced bosses back together to save the station. It turns out, however, that maybe the two pulling the Parent Trap are a better match for each other than anyone would’ve thought.
Any Taylor Jenkins Reid Book (Particularly Daisy Jones & The Six and Malibu Rising)
Okay, I get it. Everyone and their mother has told you to pick up either Daisy Jones & the Six, Malibu Rising, or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the last couple months, and you figure that these books are simply overhyped. I’m sad to admit that if that is not currently your thought process, it was mine. I have been let down by extremely popular books more often than not. But I am here to report that these books are becoming so instantly beloved for a reason. Reid is a master of marrying plot, pacing, emotion, and character development into the most fulfilling and thought provoking yet easy and fun to read works of fiction. If you’re particularly struggling to get into reading right now, Daisy Jone’s formatting as an interview transcript makes it super quick to read through and might be unique enough to break your reading slump like it did mine. I’ve also heard from many friends that the audiobook is excellent.
All of Reid’s books take place in the not so distant past including the 1970s and 1990s, all carrying some aspect of delving into the lives of fictional actors or musicians and their particular parts of Los Angeles. It’s a fascinating way to experience LA in a new light.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
If nonfiction is more your thing, John Green’s latest, a collection of personal essays, is a great choice. Green uses his fantastic fiction writing skills to create extremely vivid short essays that are thought provoking on seemingly mundane topics like the QWERTY keyboard and the Taco Bell breakfast menu. The addition of a five star scale rating adds an additional layer of fun. The self-contained essays makes the book easy to pick up when you have time without worrying about forgetting the storyline.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
Audiobooks are my best tool to stay reading when school gets busy because I can listen to them on walks, doing dishes, or eating breakfast. It’s also great if your eyes feel fatigued from all your class readings. This audiobook is read by the author and is fantastic. It blends memoir and a look into the practices and reality of therapy from the point of view of a therapist in therapy. It is impossible to sufficiently summarize but was an incredibly moving and eye opening book. If you’re looking for a nonfiction story that has a strong narrative flow to it, you’ll love this one.
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
There isn’t much fiction about people our age, but Mary H.K. Choi writes fantastic books about college students and those in their early 20s. While any of her books would be a great choice, Emergency Contact has a soft spot in my heart for being about a girl starting college and being lost, happy, and confused in the most relatable ways. The book has gorgeous prose and an immense amount of emotional depth as well as a very sweet, quiet love story in the background of figuring out life at university.
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