This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.
As a lover of books, I think I can speak for everyone who does when I say that I’m always meaning to start a new book but feel like I’m too busy to do so at the moment. Well now that we have all the time in the world stuck in our homes, everyone is quickly realizing the boredom that comes with online school and no work hours. To save you at least a few hours a day from this feeling of monotony, here are some entertaining reads that will transport you away from your house or apartment.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
This is actually a novel that I am currently working on for my literature class but I have had it recommended to me before. It’s surprising but some of the books assigned to me in my literature courses have turned out to be favorites of mine. Wild is a memoir of one woman’s journey to self-discovery while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. After losing the person who she was closest to, her mom, Cheryl decides to strike out into the wilderness alone and faces her own grief and hardships along the way. This book will definitely transport you into a nature-filled and suspense-driven world. After you read, check out the movie adaptation featuring Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl!
Sometimes I like to start books when I’m already reading one. This has nothing to do with being bored with the book I started first and everything to do with the fact that I end up buying so many books every time I go to the bookstore. Outlander is a book that I have started but not finished yet that I have really enjoyed. It is also part of a longer series that currently has eight books published with an expected number of ten in the series. If you are a fan of longer series, then this would be a great read for you because not only are there eight of them but they are each easily around 600 pages long. Do not let this intimidate you though, the series is exciting and has a TV show if you are someone who likes reading the books before you watch. The books follow the adventures of 20th-century nurse Claire as she is transported to the 18th-century Scottish Highlands. The series has something for everyone with its historical romance science fiction genre.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
One of my favorite genres of all time, the high fantasy novel, is certainly nerdy and is deeply rooted in my middle school years but that does not make me love it any less. The Throne of Glass series is very fun and the worldbuilding will easily get you caught up in the plotline and characters. This is the first book in a series of six books. Every book is out now so if you always hate to wait on that next book in the series, you will not have to with this one! The book follows teenage-assassin Celaena as she becomes enthralled in a competition to become a ruthless King’s personal assassin against others who are mysteriously showing up dead around the castle. Each book reveals a different part of Celaena’s past and the mystery of her identity becomes one of the main draw-ins to the story.
Another memoir, this book is a short read that still manages to convey a lot of depth and emotion that I really enjoyed reading about. The book is written by Jeannette Walls who writes about her dysfunctional family and the upbringing she had living in poverty and moving from place to place on the whims of her father. She writes about her personal relationship with her father and ups and downs they faced, as he dreams big but never seems to act on them. This book is a coming-of-age story that depicts how family life can impact a person once they grow up. There is also a film adaptation for this one that has Woody Harrelson in the role of Jeannette’s father Rex.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Sometimes you read a book you find so entertaining that you start recommending it to everyone you know. Gone Girl is definitely one of those books for me. It is suspenseful and fast-paced and I could not put it down until I finished it. The book alternates chapters between married couple, Nick and Amy Dunne. Nick’s chapters describe the sudden disappearance of Amy from their home on their anniversary. Amy’s chapters follow her diary entries from the time she met Nick leading up to her mysterious vanishing. I love some unreliable narrators and if you do too then you will find this as thrilling as I did. There is also a movie adaptation that is honestly one of the best book-to-movie adaptations I have ever seen from the way it develops the plot down to the actors they cast.
Hopefully one of these books over numerous categories can help you overcome any boredom you may be feeling over these endless days at home. For me, reading always makes time fly quickly. I suggest starting a book club with a few of your friends over the phone if you want to have even more fun reading and getting that social interaction at the same time.
