March is National Reading Month. Reading is a tool that fuels the world– it’s literally everywhere. Like many, reading has been there for me as a hobby or as an escape from my rigorous schedule. In elementary school, I realized how much joy reading bought me. Being fully immersed in the pages became my safe space, far away from my reality.
Most, if not all, of the Her Campus writers at ODU enjoy reading as well. So, with the help of some of my chapter, I’ve compiled a list of our favorite books and why they mean so much to us.
Dr. Seuss is an American author best known for his children’s books. Additionally, March 2 is his birthday. According to RIF.org, “National Reading Month is a nationwide celebration held to inspire children, families, and communities to make reading a daily habit and foster a lifelong love of books. It highlights the importance of literacy in shaping academic success, critical thinking, and imagination, while addressing the challenge that millions of children in the U.S. struggle to read proficiently.”
Mine:
My favorite book (currently at least) is “The Guest” by Emma Cline. Alex is the main character of this story and would be described as a freeloader. Summer is coming to a close on the East End of Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome at her “boyfriend’s” home, and he dismisses her with a ride to the train station.
Propelled by desperation and a mutable sense of morality, she spends the week leading up to Labor Day moving from one place to the next, a cipher leaving destruction in her wake in hopes to find her way back to her original spot of simplifying living off of other people.
Cierra Turner:
“My favorite book would be “Yumi and the Nightmare Painter” by Brandon Sanderson because it completely immersed me into the fantasy world and getting to see the two characters slowly get to know each other was beautiful. Also, it differed from my usual reads as I’m usually romance focused, but this book was fantasy-heavy with a touch of romance and it really worked for me.”
Cristina Rodriguez-Velez:
“The best memoir I’ve ever read was “Glass Castle” by Jennet Walace. I liked it so much because I like to be engrossed in the crazy things that happen in her life. I would describe her family as toxic, which made for a great book. Her family saw their kids struggle and still live like that till this day, which is so sad but that’s all they know.”
Taylor Phillips:
“My favorite book right now has to be “God of the Woods” by Liz Moore. The story follows the Van Laar family in past and present day with the disappearances of their two children, the first being Bear in the past, and the second being Barbara in the present day. The story follows different perspectives, which is normally my least favorite thing in a book, but Moore excels in holding the reader’s attention like no other!”
Ash J. Thomas:
“A recent favorite book of mine is “The Fox Hunt” by Caitlin Breeze, which is a relatively recent publication. The story employed a dramatic shift in tone and plot partway through the novel, which I thought was done well. The story had a plethora of interesting female characters, letting them grow beyond expected stereotypes, and I enjoyed the way the book seemed to subvert certain expectations of the genre, such as the archetype of the over-dramatic heartthrob.”
Out of all five choices presented, the Her Campus chapter at ODU hopes you can enjoy one of these options like we did. Happy national reading month!