Though winter break has come and gone, I still find myself perusing my Goodreads account and reflecting upon the books I read those few weeks. Once an avid reader, the college took my reading momentum away, but with the surge of BookTok, BookTube, and the sale of used books at every thrift store I’ve stumbled upon, I had the urge to fill up my bookshelf again. While still on a journey of figuring out my favorite genres to read, here are the books I read over the winter break.
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Falling out of love with someone you still like feels exactly like lying in a warm bed and hearing the alarm clock. No matter how good you feel right now, you know it’s time to go.”
Though a short one, this book was heartbreaking and grief-stricken, but in the end, hopeful and nostalgic towards love. The main character, Emma Blair, creates a life for herself with her high school sweetheart, Jesse. One year after their wedding anniversary, Jesse disappears in a helicopter accident, leaving Emma to pick up the pieces. The story discusses Emma’s journey with grieving and moving on from a heartbreaking incident. While the book may not be perfectly written, this book was a quick and meaningful read.
A Court of Thorns & Roses Series by Sarah J. Mass
“We need hope or else we cannot endure.”
Many may have heard of this series through the craze on BookTok…but if you haven’t, allow me to introduce you to the series of A Court of Thorns and Roses! I wasn’t sure if I would like this series as I’m still getting used to fantasy, political, and historical stories. This book follows the life of our protagonist, Feyre, who lives on the mortal lands with her father and sisters. After hunting a faerie to feed her starving family, Feyre discovers that she had broken a treaty and must pay for her crimes by leaving the mortal lands and going off to a new land. If you love a good fantasy story mixed with some romance, this book series was great to get lost in over the break.
Field of Ashes by Nicoline Evans
The fantasy book, Field of Ashes is the second book in the Hall of Mosses series, by local author Nicoline Evans. I found this series a few years back at a Christmas festival and fell in love with the fictional and fantastical world created by Evans. Without giving the plot of the series away, this book series is for lovers of fantasy, a little bit of action, and environmental interest and activism.
A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos
I picked up this book solely based on the beautiful cover at the bookstore. Translated from French, this book is part of a fictional fantasy series that follows the life of Ophelia, an introverted and shy girl. Ophelia lives on the land of Anima after “The Rupture,” which separated many lands into floating islands throughout the world. Filled with magic and the ability to communicate with objects, Ophelia must move away with her arranged fiancé to a new land. While this book received rave reviews and the summary is extremely interesting, I found myself wanting more by the end, but not in a great way. I realized through reading this book that I was more of a character development person, and less of a world-building person. If you love worldbuilding, give this book a try!
Even if you didn’t have time to read or discover a new book over the break, every day is a new day to try and get some reading in. It’s fun to read some fictional or nonfiction, mixed in with those textbooks you have to read to pass your classes. Visit your local bookstores, buy used books online or in-store, and find a genre you love reading! There are thousands of books out there… one will be for you!