We all know how tough it is to read for pleasure in college while we are already swamped with textbook readings and other work from professors. However, reading a book before bed or during the “in between” time in our busy schedules can actually be beneficial in many ways. Not only does it give us a chance to unwind and place our focus on something other than school, exercise, or social life, it also can improve our reading comprehension, writing ability, and creative thinking. Who knew that your romantic beach novel could actually help you in academic life? All this aside, whether you prefer to pick up a dense sci-fi novel or a John Green work that will make you cry your eyes out, you should set aside a little time each week to just sit, relax, and read. Sundays in your dorm room or during the long days of Winter Break, anyone? It looks like you just found a more studious version of “Netflix and Chill.” With that being said, if you are going to pick up a stack of printed pages, you better make sure that it’s worth your time! There are so many published works out there that were written specifically for the college-aged girl, and some are even geared towards helping make sense of these formative, and sometimes confusing, years. Below are 5 texts (plus a few more) that every collegiette gal should peruse. Happy Reading!
-
Dorm Room Diet by Daphne Oz
Written by a fellow college girl who struggled with weight control during her teenage years, this is definitely a more simple text to get through and to understand. This book provides a comprehensive guide to all things health and nutrition in college. It is great for the freshmen who are entering college dreading the extra 15 pounds, but it is also a good read for the college girl who needs a little help in creating a healthy lifestyle plan. It helps one make the connection between food choices, exercise, healthy lifestyle habits and success throughout one’s college career.
2. #GirlBoss by Sophia Amoruso
Sophia Amoruso spent her teens struggling to make ends meet, and in her novel she describes her “misfit” life before the age of 22. She began selling vintage clothes on eBay to make money, and from this, she found an area of expertise where she could make a profit. 10 years later, she is the Founder and CEO of the fashion retail company Nasty Gal, a multi-million dollar company that has become an everyday name among college girls. In her book, she writes about finding her passion and taking the road less traveled to achieve success. As stated in the text’s online description, “#GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly.”
3. You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero
Not your average self-help book, this text will get you motivated and ready to start dreaming of your future success in anything you wish to pursue. Everyone has some sort of a rut in college- whether that be in academics, choosing a major, or thinking of a possible career path. This book talks about how to channel that negative voice inside your head into an energy that will move you forward towards your goals. What’s great about this book is that it is broken up into 27 short chapters that are full of inspirational stories and sincere advice, so you can read a quick chapter in one sitting and take away a lot of helpful information from it. It is easy to read, encouraging, and packs in a swear word here and there which will put you in the “badass” attitude you need to get off your butt and achieve great things.
4. Eat, Pray, Love Made Me Do It by Elizabeth Gilbert
Everybody loved Julia Roberts in the 2010 debut of the book-based-film, making women everywhere dream of seeing and tasting everything that she did on her journey; and most could totally relate to the scenes of her struggling to fit into her skinny jeans after her travels in Italy. This text is a compilation of personal anecdotes of over 50 readers who were inspired to change their own lives and to transform themselves into the people that they wanted to be after reading the nationally bestselling memoir. This book is humorous, eye-opening, captivating, and will leave you thinking creatively about what you want to do with your own path.
5. For the fiction-loving gals….
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Many people saw the film when it came out last summer, and the book is even more enjoyable! It is a love story that features a young college-aged girl who moves from one job to the next to support her family, and her quirky and upbeat personality shines through at all moments. There’s also a great looking, lonely guy in the mix, and who doesn’t love that?!
6. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
This popular New York Times Bestseller shows the effects of war and gender inequality in the Middle East, and the relationships between the female characters are ones that you’ll never forget. This book is a difficult one to put down, and is well worth the read as the author is said to be one of the best of our time.
7. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
This is a text that will take you a little longer to get through, but it is definitely worth it. All The Light We Cannot See will bring you to tears and expose you to an excellent style of writing and storytelling. This is a fictional story based off true events during World War II; the detail in the writing and the complexity of the characters will keep you motivated to finish all 530 pages!
8. The Light Between Oceans by M.L Stedman
This is a story of a young couple who faces many challenges and then suddenly, a stroke of luck. The plot remains mysterious and will keep you guessing throughout its entirety. Soon to be a major motion picture, this is one novel that you’ll want to read before the movie comes out!