When I was between the ages of 6 and 13, you would never see me without a book in hand. As a kid that was not allowed television after school, and luckily growing up next to my hometown’s public library, I became a book worm from a very young age. Whether it was Magic Treehouse in primary school, Harry Potter in elementary school, and—most fundamentally—The Hunger Games series in middle school, I was probably reading a book a week for most of my childhood. I found myself in these books and every story gave me a certain level of comfort, as I got lost in every plot.
However, I fell into a reading slump for around five years of my life when I entered high school. The doom of having to read Wuthering Heights in grade 9 while battling the highs and lows of high school led me to lose that love of reading.I instead turned to SparkNotes the night before a book report was due. I felt so guilty all the time for doing this, and knew my inner child would be scolding me. However, life happens, and I was probably too busy crying over my ex-boyfriends to want to crack open a book.
Thankfully, high school came to an end. After spending hours during COVID-19 lockdowns watching various cheesy Netflix shows, I decided to crack open a book. It was The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, for which I read the prequel Handmaid’s Tale before I went into grade 9 (a little young, I know—I had very little supervision when it came to what I was reading). Margaret Atwood is an author whose writing is so articulate and powerful, and it gave me a reminder of the power of reading.
About 432 pages later, I fell back in love with reading. Since then, I have been turning the pages of various authors and falling in love with all different kinds of writing, oh-so similar to the love I had as a child. Here are some authors that I have read over the last couple years that made me fall back in love with reading.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you are looking for an author that makes you feel like you are reading a perfectly scripted Netflix series, Taylor Jenkins Reid is for you! Her writing is entertaining, raunchy, and will have you envisioning every one of her characters in the most surreal way. Her two bestselling books Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo are both coming to our television screens soon. Since they are being adapted into an Amazon Prime series and Netflix film, you will want to get your hands on one of those soon.
Gillian Flynn
I decided to read Gone Girl for the first time last year (post-breakup, it was very inspiring). I was amazed by all the twists, and the written dialogue in this book will have you rooting for the anti-hero, Amy, all-while hating her husband in a way that will make you never want to speak to a man again. Luckily, Gillian Flynn wrote other books too with a similar ominous undertone. Dark Places is a true crime lovers favourite, and Sharp Objects will have your stomach in knots. Her writing is so expressive and gut-wrenching. If you are a thrill-seeker, you will love her novels.
Sally Rooney
Miss Rooney is up-there with Suzanne Collins as one of my favourite authors of all time. As a hopeless romantic, her writing never fails to bring me to tears. Out of her three novels that she has completed, Normal People had me in a puddle of tears, both before and after watching the Hulu seriesas well. If you are in your early 20s and need to have all your deepest insecurities and thoughts read out loud to you, any one of her books will do that for you. Her writing is rich and captivating, and she has the ability to create characters that are just a bit TOO relatable, but in the best way possible.
