I get it, we’re all busy. I’m sure most college kids, including myself, have the mindset that they don’t have time to read or that they could be doing better or more productive things. In reality, and I know this from evaluating the way I spend my time, there are times where I have nothing to do and just end up watching TV or online shopping. While that does pass the time, reading is also something that enriches your mind and entertains you. The list I’ve compiled consists of just a few of the books I’ve read, mostly over the past few years, that I absolutely loved and would recommend to anyone who asks (listed in no specific order).
Written by Donna Tartt, Pulitzer Prize winner for The Goldfinch, starting her writing debut with The Secret History. This book, arguably the most well-written of her novels, sparked interest all throughout the literary community after its release in 1992. The book follows the story of a college student who enters an elite Ancient Greek major, a program with only six students, as a complete outsider. He finds himself lost as he discovers dark secrets of murder, sex, drugs, and satanic rituals. This book sucks you into its story and will leave you confused and excited for what happens next. And not to sway you in any way, but this was probably my favorite book this summer.
To continue on the Donna Tartt track, her bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Goldfinch is a must-read for any age. This coming of age novel follows the story of Theodore Decker, soon to be played by Ansel Elgort in the upcoming movie, as he navigates his life following a terrorist attack at a museum in where his mother dies and he begins to lose hope. However, his only source of hope arrives in the form of a painting, “The Goldfinch,” that he takes from the museum and carries with him throughout the stages of his life. The gripping tale totals at 784 pages, more than any on this list. Though long, the book is worth every page.
Written by Vincent Bugliosi, the lead prosecutor in the Tate-LaBianca murders, this book follows the trial of Charles Manson and his family and introduces the prosecution’s main theories to explain why these murders occurred. The book provides new, never before seen insight into the trial as Bugliosi illustrates both the police investigation and the trial itself. For any true crime junkies, this book is gold. This recollection is twisted, psychologically dense, and full of some of the most horribly fascinating people.
4. The Circle
Written by Dave Eggers, The Circle follows the story of Mae Holland, a recent college graduate, as she navigates her new job at the most powerful technology and social media company to have ever existed. She quickly moves up the ranks and begins to be corrupted by the ideals of this company, namely, the idea of transparency. This transparency experiment pushes ethical boundaries as it takes away people’s right to privacy and personal freedoms. This book is chilling and will really make you think about where the future of social media is heading. In short, this is a great read!
This last book is written by Kate Quinn and follows two different perspectives, one from a female spy in France during World War I, and an ex-socialite searching for her missing cousin in 1947. They meet on the search for a long-lost cousin, and they both come together to complete their final mission. The book is both exciting and a little heartbreaking and will keep you enticed for any amount of time you dedicate to it. Quinn plays on the historical aspects while also introducing her own fiction and creative flare.