Isolation is probably stressing you out; I know it’s stressing me out, but, ever the optimist, I’m grasping at straws to justify some silver linings. I have an ever-increasing stack of TBR books at home, and this might be my opportunity to blow through them! Maybe one of these will catch your eye, and it’ll rank on your list too.
- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
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This one doesn’t quite count because I finished it yesterday, but I felt it deserved a spot on this list. It’s inclusive, both in terms of people of color and LGBTQ+ representation, and it has that soft and bright warmth a good romantic comedy provides. Read it now, before the Amazon-produced film drops! And yes, it is about the First Son of the United States falling in love with the Prince of Wales, and I’m obsessed.
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
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It’s time for a re-read of a classic, spring-time book (don’t ask me what makes it spring; it just is). It feels wrong to describe it as escapist because it’s too painful to be a fantasy, but Hinton’s words are timeless; it really sends you to a different world. The novel ranked high on my list in middle school, so let’s see if it stands the test of time.
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
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I always talk about being Italian American in my articles for Her Campus, but it’s high-time I actually live up to this part of my identity. The movie trilogy is critical to my family’s media library, and I have high hopes for the novel. I don’t know much about how it differs from the movie, but we’ll have to see!
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
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Tartt’s Dickensian odyssey took me weeks upon weeks to complete, upon my first reading. Surrounding the life of Theo, a boy who lost his mother in a terrorist attack on a New York City museum, it’s lyrical and bizarre, and it’s an adventure that you won’t forget, if you can make it through.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
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I’m always a sucker for familial/generational novels, and, based on the reviews, the 1967 epic seems to be no exception. I’m incredibly excited to read this one too – it’ll allow me to delve into Latin American culture, both through the subject matter and, according to Wikipedia, the distinct style of writing.
Have you read any of these? Would you add anything more to the list? Feel free to @ us on Twitter and let us know!