As an English major, I have been introduced to many different genres of literature. I love reading different types of books because they tap into different parts of your brain, your senses, and your emotions. Each category forces you to reflect on new ideas and can leave you feeling enchanted by themes you hadn’t been interested in before. I often find myself juggling a few books at a time to maintain variety in my literary experiences. It also might be because I can’t read eerie or suspenseful stories before bed. Here’s a list of some of my favorites:
Yes Please – Amy Poehler (Memoir)
My muse. My role model. My spirit animal. Amy Poehler. Her many personas are one of my many obsessions and in her memoir she goes into great detail about the places, people, and events that surround some of her greatest moments. It is insightful, honest, inspiring, and obviously, hilarious. She tells stories of her early days as an aspiring comedian, about raising her two boys, about the set and cast of Parks and Recreation, and about being a woman in a man’s world. I highly recommend this for a lighthearted read if you’re on the go, between classes, or by the pool.
Before I Go to Sleep – S.J. Watson (Suspense Novel)
This is one story that will keep you up at night. It’s a psychological thriller that focuses on a woman suffering from amnesia, waking up each day with no memory of who she is. By the suggestion of her doctor, she keeps a daily journal that she reads to remind herself about the truths in her life. But when she begins to doubt the truths she is writing, she does not know where to turn or who will reveal the whole story.
A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin (Fantasy)
With all of the cult-like fandom around the show, A Game of Thrones needs little introduction. For those unfamiliar with the plotline, the story centers around a world divided into two continents with various kingdoms, tribes, and cities all fighting for control over one another and ultimately, the Iron Throne. With detailed plot events and an extensive character list, this read is dense, but extremely magnetic. If you’ve never seen the show, you’re in for a lot of surprises and some great fantastical elements (cough, dragons, cough, cough). If you have seen the show, I recommend picking up the book for the sheer fact of being able to participate in the endless fan theories the novels reveal.
Maya’s Notebook – Isabel Allende (Coming-of-age Novel)
This contemporary tale follows Maya Vidal, a teen from Berkeley who is abandoned by her parents and taken in by her grandparents, but falls into the world of drugs, unsafe sex, and crime. After getting involved in a dangerous group, Maya is forced to flee to a remote island off the coast of Chile in order to escape the assassins, police, and FBI on her tail. The story is told through the view of the journal she keeps during her time disconnected from the rest of the world. She learns to live a new life, gets to know the history of Chile, and her family, and unravels the truth of her own past. For Spanish speakers, I recommend buying it in Spanish, the language Isabel Allende writes in, because it preserves some of the more raw emotions language barriers often miss.
Lucky – Alice Seabold (Memoir)
In her harrowing memoir, Alice Seabold, author of The Lovely Bones, describes her experience of being raped as freshman at Syracuse University, and how the event shaped the rest of her life. While this isn’t a cheerful story, Seabold aims to bring awareness to the topic of sexual assault on college campuses and the battles that ensue publically, legally, and emotionally to survivors. Her spirit and tone through the memoir depict a woman who crawled out of the depths of trauma, and will inspire any reader. If you’re ready for a very real, very emotional, and enlightening story about rape and the after effects, pick up Lucky. Reader discretion is advised.
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto – Mitch Albom (Fiction)
Mitch Albom is known for his famous memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie, and has written a handful of other novels that challenge the way people view the world and the people around them. In his newest novel, Albom uses magical realism to tell the story of the greatest guitar player who ever lived, and a mysterious guitar with the power to change lives through its music. Interacting with music icons like Elvis, Hank Williams, and Little Richard, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto has a Forrest Gump-esque feel that invests readers in the mysterious plotline and fascinating point of view. The story begins at his funeral, in the same remote Spanish town Frankie Pesto was born in, but the story takes the reader on a journey to every corner of the world where his magical past begins to unravel.
The Cuckoo’s Calling – Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) (Crime/Detective Fiction)
The first in the series, The Cuckoo’s Calling, follows struggling war veteran turned Private Investigator, Cormoran Strike. The mystery takes place on the streets of London after a model has fallen to her death and her brother seeks to prove that she did not commit suicide, but instead was murdered. As Strike gets deeper and deeper into the case, the more delusions, desperations, and dangers he exposes himself to. It was published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, but Rowling’s literary style and genius shines through. If you’re looking for a fast-paced novel and enjoy solving crimes – this book is for you.