Five titles that I’m devouring to escape winter
Winter in Wisconsin is already quite devastating, but the recent cold front has been detrimental to any hopes I’ve had of enjoying the outdoors. As someone from the great state of California, I personally cannot wait for Spring. Or, at least, Spring deception. Midwest Spring is a fragile thing – at any moment it can become a blizzard again – so you have to cherish those precious moments of sun and (fingers crossed) 60 degree weather when you get it. In order to keep this hope alive, I’ve created a list of five books I can’t wait to open up again in the sun.
1. BLISS MONTAGE BY LING MA
Ling Ma, author of “Severance”, published this anthology of short stories in 2022. With eight short stories, Ma explores the struggles of growing up as an immigrant in the United States, complexities of love and heartbreak, and traveling to fantastical worlds. Each story is unique, taking the reader into a new, emotion-packed and unfamiliar world. Ma’s style is raw and unflinching. She doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, so I’m putting trigger warning here for would-be readers: “Bliss Montage” contains topics regarding partner and sexual abuse. The story that contains this topic discusses it from the perspective of someone who escaped that relationship and is reflecting on it. Overall, the book is beautifully written, and deserves another read.
2. SUNRISE ON THE REAPING BY Suzanne Collins
The anticipation for this book was almost unbearable. It was just released March 18, 2025, and I will dedicate my spring break to absolutely devouring it. Announced in late 2023, after the theatrical release of “A Ballad of Songbird and Snakes”, “Sunrise on the Reaping” follows Haymitch Abernathy, a boy from District 12 selected for the 50th Hunger Games. Serving as a prequel to the “Hunger Games” trilogy, the reader is granted Haymitch’s perspective, his journey from tribute to victor and the losses he encounters on the way. I’ve been anxiously awaiting its release since it was first announced, and now that it’s finally here I’m excited to finally get into it. No spoilers!
3. THE BODY BY STEPHEN KING
“The Body” is a short, coming of age story that takes place during the summer of 1960. When a boy from a nearby town goes missing, Gordie and his three friends embark on an adventure to find him. Well, find his body. They walk along the railroad tracks, trek in the hot summer sun and ruminate on what it means to grow up. The thoughts are incredibly heartbreaking, and unfortunately quite relatable to most readers. This story had me in my feels when I first read it, and kept me on my toes with a few twists. So, if you’re someone who likes to annotate books, keep your pen and tabs handy (they’ll be used quite a bit). If this story sounds kind of familiar, it is! In 1986, King’s short story was adapted into an acclaimed movie, “Stand By Me”. While there are similarities between the works, the book and the movie are two different stories, with different endings. As an avid reader, I recommend the book!
4. “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville
This short story was an assigned reading for my freshman year English class and it remains one of my favorite assigned readings of my academic career. The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator, a lawyer who employs and is fascinated by Bartleby, a scrivener. Whenever the lawyer requests Bartleby to do something, Bartleby simply responds “I would prefer not to.” Any question, command, appeal was met by the same five words: “I would prefer not to.” In the story, Melville pens Bartleby as a character that stands still, one that remains stagnant during the restlessness and energy of the Industrial Revolution in England. It’s a statement against capitalist ideologies of a life defined by work and relations to those in powerful positions. I wholeheartedly recommend this story to those who need to take a pause from the go-go-go of everyday life, and just sit with a good story.
5. HAPPY PLACE BY EMILY HENRY
“Happy Place” is one of my favorite Emily Henry books. I first read it in the spring before I graduated high school, when I was already in a headspace of reflecting on my current friendships and how (and if) they would survive past graduation and into adulthood. The story is about three friends who met freshman year of college, so current seniors will most likely have a very similar reading experience to the one I had. “Happy Place” is a love letter to nostalgia, female friendships and our own personal happy places. Harriet, a med student, is set to go on a trip with her friends from college to their happy place – one of the friend’s homes in Maine. Knowing this is their last summer in the cottage before it’s sold, they try to make the most of it, recreating moments from their pasts and reminiscing on how their lives got to this point. However, this “magical” summer isn’t as fantastic as promised – people change, fight and mourn the good old days. On top of this, Wyn, Harriet’s ex-fiance and part of the friend group, is there. And no one knows they broke up. The book explores the bonds of friendship, and what a happy place really means – that it’s the people, not the place, that makes everything worth it.
These books all fit spring to me because, within all of them, there is a particular sense of hope. To me, that’s what spring embodies. The sun is shining, the snow is melting, and better times are ahead. Winter can drag on and on, especially in the midwest, but there is an end, another side of the tunnel. A rebirth at the end of it that revitalizes all of us, gives us motivation and joy. These titles help to make that time feel faster. So, when you look up from your book, you can feel at peace once more.