Reading is an excellent way to temporarily escape from your own reality. Whenever I’m stressed, I read. When I’m bored, I read. When I’m happy, mad, sad, tired―I read. Especially during this time of year, when fall has kicked in and the trees are changing colors and the rainy season here in Seattle is starting, I try to take some time to myself everyday to read. Here in Seattle, bookstores can be found just about anywhere. And there really are so many benefits to reading a little bit everyday. Some include: stress reduction, mental stimulation, memory improvement, improved focus and concentration, and more (10 Benefits of Reading). So if you’re looking for some book recommendations to settle into the rainy season, here are some of my favorite books (in no particular order).
The first time I read this, I remember telling everyone I could that reading Fangirl felt like falling in love. The second read felt like it, too. Every character in this book feels like someone I know. I relate a lot to Cath, and I’m really glad I read this book the year before I went to college and again in my second year at college. It allowed me to reflect on how much I’ve grown in a really unique way. And it shows fanfiction in a really positive light, which is something I had never seen before reading this book, and something I really appreciate.
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The writing in this novel is unmatched. The point of view is something I had never even thought of before. Set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief is told through the point of view of Death, who is terrified of the things they see humans doing to each other. One thing I really loved about this book was the focus of the sky. Every time Death had to go retrieve souls, they would focus on the sky to distract themselves from what was going on around them, and to remind themselves they were taking the souls away from a life of pain. Liesel is also incredibly badass. This book really emphasizes the power of knowledge and the importance of reading, and tells a really emotional story that had my full attention from start to finish.
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Disclaimer: I love YA dystopias. I’m writing a YA dystopia. But that means I’ve been sucked into certain conventions and expectations regarding dystopias, and The Handmaid’s Tale forced me to reconsider all of them. This book is terrifying. It’s real. Sometimes while I was reading it, I’d tell myself to take a break―it can get pretty heavy. But it’s never explicitly heavy, (because Offred doesn’t let herself think of too much explicitly), so before long I was picking up the book again. It was a new take on dystopian fiction for me, and I loved all of it. I know the book is always better than the movie/show, but I highly recommend reading the book before watching the show (if you decide to watch the show at all). The show is very explicit, and incredibly overwhelming to me. It’s good, but the book is so much better.
4. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This was the first LGBTQ book I ever read, and I’m so glad it was this one. A couple years ago, I went to the library at the beginning of pride month and picked up a few queer books. Halfway through this one, I had to go buy it. I needed to own it. The novel switches point of view, being told in Noah’s point of view, then his twin sister Jude’s, then Noah’s again, then Jude’s again. Noah is a artist. He creates art on paper. Jude is a sculptor. She molds to create. Their preferred method of art is very prevalent in the lexicon used in their points of view. Noah’s point of view is told at 13 years old, Jude’s at 16 years old―both very forming years in teenagers lives. This book is relatable and heartwarming and heartbreaking, and everything I wanted and more when picking up my first queer YA novel.
5. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Again, I love YA novels. So far, I’ve written exclusively YA novels. Romance always follows the same pattern, and we all know what it is. Boy meets girl. Drama. Breakup? Happy ending. The Sun is Also a Star wrecks that convention. Natasha doesn’t believe in this gooey destiny romantic bullsh*t. Daniel is a hopeless romantic. It doesn’t really make sense for them to fall in love, especially since Natasha is literally going to be deported in less than 24 hours, but they do and it works. I’ve never been happier with such an ambiguous story and ending. I stand by saying the book is always better than the movie, but this movie is coming out in May of 2019 and you bet I’ll be there opening night.
6. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
I didn’t read or watch Harry Potter until just before I turned nineteen. Part of me wishes I had read it sooner (though I tried to when I was around 11 and I wasn’t interested). The other part of me is so happy it took me so long. This is a fairly political series, and it was awesome getting to see that through the eyes of a young “adult” (lol) rather than the eyes of an 11 year old. I love this story. I love the characters, even the complex, awful ones like Snape because I can respect the duality of the character so much more now that I’m a more developed writer and at the end of my teen years. I could write an essay about Snape’s duality (maybe someday I will) and why I love and hate and love to hate him. JKR has her issues, there’s absolutely no denying that, but she created a beautiful story and a beautiful world with beautiful characters, and I’m glad I finally get to be a part of it, even if it was 10 years after most everyone else joined it. (But I’ll never forgive her for what she did to Sirius. Like, ever.)
7. The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
This was the series of my childhood and Twilight will always hold a special place in my heart. I reread the books over the summer, making it 9 times that I’ve read New Moon (the book I’ve read the least amount of times) and 17 times that I’ve read Breaking Dawn (the book I’ve read the most). I’ll literally never get over this series. When I’m sad, happy, nostalgic, emotional, I’ll go to Twilight. The relationships in this book are incredibly complex―and I don’t mean the love triangle between Edward/Bella/Jacob. I mean the familial relationships―the Cullens, Bella and Alice, Bella and Renee, Bella and Charlie, the pack, Jacob and Billy. The friendships, the enemies, all of them. All the characters are so well developed; everyone has a past and reasons for being who they are and motivations and hopes and regrets. I love all of the characters (even the ones I hate). To be honest, writing this little blurb is making me want to watch/read the series again. And to be even more honest, I have all the movies in my dorm, so I might just do that.
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
First off, shoutout to Mrs. Mah, my senior year English teacher, for giving us such amazing books to read. When I say the entire class was deeply invested in this book, I mean the entire class was deeply invested. I’m going to say less about this book because I feel like a lot of people I’ve talked to haven’t read it yet, but I will say this: Janie is everything I want to be. She’s true to herself and determined and strong. She makes her own path and does what she wants to do, not what other say she should (and for a young black girl in the 1930s, that wasn’t the norm). I recommend everyone read this book, regardless of what type of book you usually read. Do yourself a favor and read Their Eyes Were Watching God.
9. And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks by Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs
Last year, after an intense Harry Potter marathon, my best friend suggested we have a Daniel Radcliffe marathon. Enter Kill Your Darlings, now one of my favorite movies, that tells the story of the murder of David Kammerer, based off the novel And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks. This jump-started my obsession with the Beat Generation. After the murder, Kerouac and Burroughs wrote this book and kept it under the floorboards of their homes, being forced to wait to publish it until after the death of Lucien Carr. I had never read any prose by the Beat Generation before this book, and I don’t know what I expected, but Hippos was not it. It’s so casual. It feels like they sat down with a buddy and told them the story over a couple of beers. Except when you read it, you’re the buddy. You get to be part of the Beat Generation for a little bit. There’s so many sides to the story, I didn’t have a choice but to research it and read all I could. And every time I look further into it, I learn more.
I’m a big believer in sharing your favorite books with others, so I hope if you decide to read any of these, you enjoy them as much as I did. Recently, reading has been my go to self care activity, because it’s convenient and relaxing and let’s me get out of my own head for a bit. Especially living in a city like Seattle, books are incredibly accessible and often not that expensive (yay used bookstores!). So get out there, read all you can, and share your favorite books!