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With the stress of college and applying for jobs, internships, etc. we could all use great works of literature to pick us up out of our slump. 2016 has been abundant with extraordinary works from an array of authors around the world. These stories are exciting, heartbreaking, but most importantly, truthful.
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
Ever wonder what it’s like to move to New York City straight out of college and have your whole life together? Yeah, Tess has no idea either. When she decides to move to New York at the age of 22 she becomes a waitress with little career aspirations. Get ready to immerse yourself in a year full of love, good champagne, and the beauty and chaos that is New York City.
The Girls by Emma Cline
The cover art doesn’t exactly scream infamous cults and violence, but don’t let Cline’s The Girls fool you. It’s a masterful depiction about a young girl named Evie Boyd’s downward path into self-destruction when she becomes mesmerized by the charismatic cult leader in the late 1960s.
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
In my opinion, there are never enough of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice retellings, but Sittenfeld‘s Eligible is memorable in its own right. Witty, stylish, and downright fun, it’s the perfect contemporary spin on a favorite classic.
You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris
I think a lot of us remember where we were when the news broke about the Terrorist attacks in Paris last November. For me, it didn’t take until the next day to realize the lost and pain the city of light and love was experiencing. We, along with the whole world, wept with France following the aftermath, but even the Parisians know how to bring light out of the darkest of situations. Antoine Leiris lost his wife that day as she was attending a rock concert at the Bataclan Theater. After penning a letter on Facebook addressing the parties involved that although they may have taken his wife, he will not let their seventeenth month old son be defined by Hélène’s murder, it quickly went viral. In You Will Not Have My Hate, Leiris accounts an extraordinary year of grief and the courage to heal.
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
From fame author of Room, The Wonder details the incredible story of an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child’s life.
Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
Two distinct characters: Manon Bradshaw, a lonely police chief longing for a purpose in her life and Edith Hind, a beautiful Cambridge graduate who has gone missing. Although seemingly stuck in a dead end, as the investigation continues, a string of clues will not only unravel the disappearance, but Manon herself.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Translated by Ann Goldstein, comes the brilliant, transformative works by Italian author, Elena Ferrante. Set against the backdrop of Naples in post World War Two Italy, we follow the extraordinary lives and friendship of two girls, Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo, as their poor neighborhood heals from the horrors of war. You can follow their story across the span of fifty years in all four of these truly beautiful stories.
Interested in reading, but can’t seem to find the time or the right novel to begin with? Book of the Month Club is a subscription based book club that offers the hottest new books every month to members. Simply pick the novel of your choice and they deliver it to you, no extra shipping added! It’s a great way to receive gorgeous new releases at an incredible discount every month, and a great encouragement to keep up reading. The Majority of the novel’s listed were available previous months to subscribers, so make sure to check out their website: https://www.bookofthemonth.com/learn-more to learn more!