With Spring Break starting next week, we have you covered if you want to spend the break sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying a good read. Here are some books that fellow HC members recommend:
Abbey: Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
PC: Amazon
For the collegiate that is staying home for Spring Break but wishes of traveling abroad instead, this book is perfect. When Nell, a sensible and intelligent English girl, uncharacteristically splurges on a weekend getaway in Paris for her and her boyfriend, conflict arises when her boyfriend fails to arrive. Finding herself alone in a foreign country, Nell begins to learn who she is and what she is capable of. Although it sounds a bit sappy, this book is a happy and quick read that is fun because every girl can relate to Nell at certain parts. After all, who wouldn’t want to spend a weekend in Paris?
Anna: Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hannah Hart
PC: Youtube
Hannah Hart is an online influencer who has her own YouTube channel with 2.5 million subscribers, featuring a very successful series, My Drunk Kitchen. She also vlogs about issues such as mental health, LGBTQ+ topics, and other parts of her daily life. She practices “reckless optimism,” a phrase she coined herself, and her channel portrays her silly, fun-loving, and positive personality. However, in her book, Buffering, she dives deep into her past, bringing up topics she has never talked about online. Hannah’s life has been far from easy, but the challenges and obstacles she’s faced has molded her into the strong individual she is today. This book is eye-opening and heartbreaking, yet hopeful and inspiring. Even if you’re not a fan of Hannah, I think everyone can learn a lot from her stories.
Julia: Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France by Craig Carlson
PC: Amazon
The perfect book for spring break, Pancakes in Paris, is an enchanting autobiography about a man who dreams of opening a diner in Paris. Craig is a witty and bumbling character that is very relatable. He speaks in a way that makes you hold onto every word not wanting to put the book down. This book is an easy read that gives the reader wanderlust and a hearty appetite. It follows Craig from his school days of learning French to his complete immersion into French culture and opening an American Diner in Paris. After picking up this book, you might not go into the food industry in France but you will definitely want to go there to get an All-American breakfast.
Ashby: The Paris Wife
PC: Goodreads
I have long been a fan of Ernest Hemingway’s books, but after reading this fictionalized account of his marriage to his first wife, I would have to say that his real life is almost more interesting than his novels. This story centers around Hadley Richardson, the first (and some would say the best) of four wives Hemingway would have throughout his life. It begins with their first meeting in Chicago and takes us on a wild ride to Paris and various other European cities. The Hemingway’s rub elbows with other members of the “Lost Generation” such as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald in typical 20s fashion. It eventually all falls apart, but it will leave you itching for another book about the other three wives.