As an English/Writing major, it’s hard to find time for personal reading during the semester. And by hard, I mean impossible. I enjoy reading for class, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a huge difference between being told to read and wanting to read for fun.
If you’re like me, your To Be Read (TBR) list gets longer and longer as the semester goes on. But for this winter break, my goal is to knock six books off of my reading list. If you’ve already read some of these, I recommend making a reading list of your own for winter break, so make sure to pick up those books collecting dust from your shelf or head to your local library to see whats new.
- DARK MOON SHALLOW SEA
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In a world ruled by shades who feast off of blood, Raef and Seth’s lives collide.
Back in 2023, I met author David R. Slayton. I met him again at the 2025 Pike’s Peak Writing Conference and bought his latest release, Dark Moon Shallow Sea. During his keynote speech, he spoke about how he’d originally written Dark Moon to be his first novel, but since no one would publish it, he went on to write the Adam Binder series first. On the cover page of my copy, he wrote, “Don’t tell the others, but this one is my favorite.”
I added Dark Moon Shallow Sea to my list in honor of Slayton inspiring me to read and write again, but also because the enemies-to-lovers trope has a clutch on my heart.
- THE SECRET HISTORY
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A classics professor teaches a small class with a dark secret that pulls them together.
BookTok has been on me to read Donna Tartt’s The Secret History for a while now, and my friends keep saying I would like it. I started it back at the beginning of my first spring semester, but of course, I had to put it down to work on school. Now, I‘m determined to unwind this dark academia mystery not only because of the hype, but because of the vibes.
- THE POPPY WAR
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Rin escapes an arranged marriage by acing a national test and later gets kicked out of her martial arts class. A military epic based on the history of East Asia, and the first in a trilogy.
After reading Yellowface, I fell in love with R.F. Kuang’s writing style. I’ve been wanting to read Babel and her latest release, Katabasis, but I was told I should start with The Poppy War trilogy because her storytelling in it is amazing. The Poppy War was Kuang’s debut novel, and it was an instant bestseller, so I figured it must be worth a read.
- THE HUNGER GAMES
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Katniss Everdeen faces the Hunger Games after volunteering in place of her little sister, and on the way, discovers the darker side of the Capitol that lays beneath her grievous life in District 12.
If you’re like me, you wore a side braid and mockingjay pin to see this film in 2012 alongside many other 10 year olds. But I’ve never read the books! The Hunger Games series was the start of the dystopian revolution, and books like Divergent, Matched, and The Selection were all written in the midst of this cultural phenomenon. With the second movie adaptation of Collins’ sequel series coming out soon, it’s definitely time for me to read the original.
- THE SONG OF ACHILLES
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A retelling of the doomed fate of great heroes Achilles and Patroclus.
Madeleine Miller’s The Song of Achilles has also been on my list for a while because, unlike a lot of people, I loved reading Homer’s Iliad. Although it was terribly hard to read, I liked the adventure and war of it all. My friends have all told me I will sob at the end of this book, and boy, does that make me want to read it more!
- NEW MOON
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The second installment of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan’s tragic love story, where the Cullens leave Bella behind and the only one left to protect her is her childhood best friend Jacob Black.
Last summer, I read Twilight, and I recently rewatched the entire Saga. If I was 14 again, I would’ve loved the way Meyer spins Edward and Bella’s teen love story and the bad boy vibe that Edward has throughout Twilight, but now that I’m 23, it’s very much a teeny-bopper romance. But since the Twilight book is way better than the movie and I’ve been told that Jacob is a more compelling character in the books, I decided to give New Moon a chance. The way Meyer latches on to the drama and horror of the vampiric world makes me want to read it even more.
I still think it’ll be hard to picture anyone else but Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, but I think that makes the story better. There’s a reason people continue to buy Meyer’s books and binge-watch the movies even in 2025, and I’m unashamed to admit that I’m one of them.