After the stress of midterm exams and paper, one relaxing thing to do is sit on the beach and read a book. Unfortunately, a cramped schedule of class and extracurricular activities impedes on the ability to read for pleasure.
Here are my suggestions for what books to indulge in over the break.
- The Last Lecture Randy Pausch
All university student should read Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. Pausch published The Last Lecture after giving his final lecture at Carnegie Mellon Univeristy. Diagnozed with terminal cancer, Pausch decided to teach his students how he managed to accomplish his childhood dreams—from being a Disney imaginer to creating a program for NASA. The most important lesson of The Last Lecture is that if you lead your life the right way, your dreams will come to you.
- Outliers Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Successes analyzes the attributes that lead to success rather than failure. Gladwell examines even the most generic correlations. For example, the majority of Canadian professional ice hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar. As Spring Break is a time to rest and refuel after the first half of the semester, reading Outliers may provide a little more insight on how to finish make a strong finish to the end of the semester.
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail Cheryl Strayed
Cheryl Strayed embarked on the Pacific Coast Trail after she lost her mom at the age of 22. Four years later, with almost no training, she decided to hike thousands of miles along the Pacific Coast Trail to rediscover her inner strength and confidence. Wild teaches us how to find our inner strength and survive against all odds. Popularized as a major motion picture featuring Reese Witherspoon, Wild inspires us to keep moving even when the odds are stacked against us. During Spring Break, find your own inner strength in order to prepare for the finals grind of the end of the semester.
Cover Photo via: https://stevelaube.com/summer-beach-reading/