So your about to graduate, or have recently graduated?! Maybe your one of those grads who is so burnt out on reading that you don’t want to even pick up a book for the next year. Or, maybe you’re the one who sees post graduation as an opportunity to read all of the books that you didn’t have the time to read during college. Well, whichever category you fall under, let me add a few to your list, or let me begin the list that you haven’t made yet, but need to. Here are some of the must read books you should turn to after graduation.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
It follows several characters as they struggle to make sense of their lives, their jobs, their relationships, and the world they live in. It sounds cliché but its done in the most original way. I recommend this book to EVERYONE. Its one of those books that will stick with you long after you read it. It’s a life changer and will make you think hard (in a good way!) about the way you view the world, yourself and other people. It’s both beautiful to the point of tears and deeply thought provoking. It really is a must read.
Wild, Cheryl Strayed
If you watched the Reese Witherspoon film by the same name, you will love the book too! And if you didn’t see the film, you will still love the book anyway. It’s the true story of author Cheryl Strayed, a college graduate who faces a series of difficult losses that lead her down a path of destructive life choices. Cheryl choses to walk the Pacific Crest Trail from the bottom of California to Washington Completely along in an attempt to straighten her life back out. Cheryl’s strength, determination, and honesty are so inspiring. This book reminds us that no matter how tough life gets, no matter how far you stray from the life you thought you would live, you can still make it to where you want to go. This book may also inspire some good summer camping/ hiking trips (of a substantially less strenuous nature than that Cheryl’s hike of course!). If you’ve already read this one there is also Cheryl’s newest book: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott
Lamott tells us, “[t]hirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”
This is a good book particularly for those interested in pursuing a career in writing (whether that be a novel, a blog, or any form of writing). It’s not about the mechanics of writing, but offers tough-love truths while inspiring creativity and soulfulness. Lamott’s approach is real and really light-hearted about the realities of writing and creating. It assures you that any project you take on (especially writing!) is really accomplished by a series of revisions. Not one gets it right the first time around.
#GIRLBOSS, Sophia Amoruso
Founder and CEO of Nasty Gal fashion retailer, Sophia Amoruso tells us about her unique path to success. Another voice of tough-love truths who assures us that where you start out in life does not determine where you will end up, and that where you went to college and what your GPA was aren’t markers of what you can accomplish, even when people in your life are telling you otherwise. #GIRLBOSS is super motivating for recent college graduates! (and really anyone for that matter!)
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert
From the author of Eat, Pray, Love! Gilbert directly shares some of her life wisdom, her methods for unlocking creativity and advice for achieving mindful happiness. Such a motivational and inspiring read for anyone taking on a new project or starting a new chapter in their life. Another book that helps readers to grapple with the fear of staring a new endeavor; Gilbert commiserates that fear can be a huge deterrent to start something new, but assures that fear is a necessity when doing anything that matters to you. This book also reminds us that our lives don’t always turnout exactly how we envisioned them, but that’s ok, because it can still lead us to amazing places if we know how to make the most of it.
Welcome to the Real World: Finding Your Place, Perfecting Your Work, and Turing Your Job into Your Dream Career, Lauren Berger
A great read as you approach graduation and also post graduation. There are some things that you just can’t learn in the classroom, Lauren Berger, CEO of one of the top intern websites, internqueen.com, talks about how to transition into your first job in the workplace, not get lost in the sea of other recent grads looking for job, and how to see each job a stepping stone. This book made me feel so much more comfortable and aware of what to expect in the work place, but Berger also encourages that we get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Also try,
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties matter—and How to Make the Most of Them Now, Meg Jay
Its more study and interview based and not a step-by-step self-help book, but certainly eye opening about how to make the most of your time and energy in your twenties!
Equipped with hilarious, life changing, and motivational books like these you can now go forth and slay! Happy Reading Collegiettes!