If you’re looking for a good read over spring break, here are three of my favorite books that I’ve read this year (or listened to- Spotify Premium having free audiobooks has honestly changed my life).
1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
I’ve been a Hunger Games fan for so long, but I was pretty hesitant about the idea of a prequel; I was worried that a book about President Snow’s origin story would humanize him and make people sympathetic to him. I don’t think this is fitting to the original books, considering how irredeemable his character is. However, this book totally surpassed my expectations- Suzanne Collins makes no effort to make Snow a good person, and writes a great story about his desperation for power and glory. The movie was also amazing, but Snow’s internal monologue and motivations in the book gave it a new depth that the movie isn’t able to capture.
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This book is one of the best coming-of-age stories that I’ve read. It gives such an amazing portrayal of teenage years and navigating life after trauma. The whole story is written in the form of letters from the perspective of a freshman in high school, which gives the book a unique and personal feel; some of the topics covered are heavy, but overall I found it a good comfort book. It’s especially enjoyable reading it now in my twenties- it feels very nostalgic to when I was trying to figure my life out in high school.
3. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I don’t find myself reading a lot of memoirs, but I had heard so many things about this book that I figured I’d give it a read. As someone who grew up watching Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows, it was hard to hear the realities of a child star, but Jennette McCurdy does an amazing job of taking the reader through her life and processing all the fame she received at a young age, as well as her abusive mother’s illness and death. This book was also pretty heavy, but it was also so entertaining and a rollercoaster of emotions.