Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I often lose myself in a book and read 100 pages in one sitting. This is one of the best feelings. In such a digital age, there is something so freeing about not checking my phone for an hour because I’m locked into a book instead. Even though I love reading, I find it so difficult to pick up a book when I’m back on campus. There is so much on my plate that I am in a constant state of stress, and a to-do list sits in the back of my head, piling up each day. The assignments I know are due soon, a social media post idea for my internship, a LinkedIn post I should be drafting up. I somehow never get everything crossed off. I also find it difficult to be excited about reading because I know I won’t be able to fully focus on the book. A way I like to get myself excited to read is by looking up reviews about the books on my to-be-read (TBR) list. Today I wanted to share some of those books in hopes of getting excited about reading and to inspire someone to pick up the book they’ve been avoiding.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
This might be one of the biggest books on BookTok. This is the first book in a fantasy series, and the next book is coming out in a month. I just started this, and I like it so far, being only four chapters in. Every person that I have talked to about this series says amazing things about it. I am so excited to continue with this book, and hopefully I can make the time. We all deserve to unwind and take time for ourselves at the end of a busy day. A great way to do this is by picking up a fantasy novel and being thrown into an entirely different world.
The Nightingale and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
SBU Book Club read The Women by Kristin Hannah this summer. It was amazing. I gave it 5 stars. I was gifted two other books by her, and I’ve, again, heard nothing but good things. I can’t wait to get into these books as well. Kristin Hannah primarily writes historical fiction, but not in the way you think. At first, I went into The Women thinking I would be bored reading about a war for 500 pages. But instead, she takes the reader through an entire life journey full of challenges, heartbreak, friendship, and more. She has a beautiful way of writing that hooks the reader and keeps them thinking about the characters after finishing the book. I know I am going to love these other books by her when I finally start them.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Unfortunately, this is a DNF (did not finish) for me. But that is just temporary. When I got to school this semester, I was halfway through this book. It is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but it takes a lot of brain power. A dystopian novel set on a futuristic version of Mars with a different government system is so interesting to read about. But it requires all my focus to understand the details. Which, currently, I don’t have. So, for now, I won’t be finishing this book. But the second we are on break, I will be continuing this intriguing dystopian science fiction series.