Books to Read in College

In today’s society, video games and partying take over the lives of more students than not. There are a few, however, that still like to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a good book. In elementary school it was easy to find a good book, my personal favorite was the Hank the Cowdog series. As individuals get older, they lose the hobby of reading due to trouble finding a quality book. Mystery, comedy, romance, autobiographies, or whatever it may be, there are hundreds of hidden gems waiting to be read by the right person! Several people don’t understand the abilities that reading has. The right book could transport you to a whole new world, or just open your eyes to the one you are already living in!

I will start with my all-time favorite book, a short novel written by Delia Owens. Where the Crawdads Sing is a mixture of mystery and romance, making it a great book for people who seek adventure from the safety of their own home! It starts with a young girl, Kya, who is young and living with a troubled family. After her mother and all her siblings leave, she is stuck with a drunk father to fend for herself in the marsh of Barkley Cove, in North Carolina. When the town star is murdered, everyone looks to Kya immediately, as she was betrayed time and time again by the star, Chase Andrews. Many people believed Kya was unintelligent and “marsh trash” as they referred to her. However, after befriending and falling in love with a young man, she learns to read and write and becomes smarter than the townspeople assume. I could go on and on about this book, but the best advice I could give is to just read it! This book keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and it is not hard to become enthralled with this novel!

If you aren’t a fan of murder mysteries, that’s okay! For all the autobiography-loving women out there, I strongly suggest Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis! This book is filled with short stories about Rachel Hollis’s life, and how she came to be the mother, wife, and friend she is today. For many women, this book is an eye-opener and truly makes one think about how they are living their life. Hollis opens up about her parenting skills, family issues growing up, and her self image issues. This book is a raw, beautiful creation that makes women feel like they aren’t so alone, it definitely did for me!

If you’re interested in history from a fictional standpoint, I recommend you read The Book Thief by Mark Zusak. This book was written in 2005 and is narrated by a strange character. I say strange because the book is actually narrated by Death, as in the Grim Reaper. It follows a young girl who goes to live in Munich with her new foster family, who happens to be harboring a Jewish man in their basement. Zusak does a very good job of painting the picture and conveying the characters’ emotions throughout the whole book. This book brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it, but I also couldn’t bring myself to put it down. The ending itself is incentive enough to make me want to read the whole book again!

If you prefer drama-filled books, John Green is the author for you! All of his books are tear-jerkers that involve love and death and happiness and sadness. Everyone has heard of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars but my personal favorite is Turtles All the Way Down. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the other two as well but this book beat the other two out, no competition at all. Turtles All the Way Down is a short novel about mental illness with a backdrop of mystery and love. 16-year-old Aza has to help her friend find his father, a billionaire CEO, but ends up falling in love. The real focus of the book, however, is Aza’s inner conflicts. She suffers from extreme Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and has a deep fear of contracting a disease, so much that she has resorted to eating hand sanitizer. The book brings awareness to those with mental disorders and makes it easier for those who don’t understand what others go through.

So even if you don’t enjoy reading as much as I do, I hope these books still sparked a bit of interest in you and make you want to sit down and read. Now is the time to create new hobbies, especially one where you can sit down in the safety of your own home and relax!