I love sitting down after a long day and cracking open a book. It gives my mind a chance to focus on something other than the stress of my day. I think that reading can be educational and entertaining if you have the right book. Here’s a list of five books I suggest reading that are perfect for anyone from a regular bookworm to someone who doesn’t read often.
1. The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
“The most difficult thing to read is time. Maybe because it changes so many things.”
This is one of my favorite books to read when I want to be transported into a mystical world of magicians and secrets. The story follows rival magicians Celia and Marco and a mysterious circus that only appears at night. This novel provides striking visuals and an amazing narrative that will keep you on your toes.
2. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
“I was so raw from repeated exposure to cruelty that now even the most minor abrasions left a mark.”
Shirin is a Muslim-American high school student struggling to exist in a post- 9/11 America. She battles the racial prejudice facing her at her school as well as the complications of love with one of the schools most popular athletes. This book interweaves the social and racial issues of modern day America with the light and universal feeling of young love and is an altogether incredible work of writing.
3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
“Believing takes practice.”
This book is the perfect example of the classic “the book was better than the movie.” No film adaptation has been able to capture the essence of this eclectic and timeless story. It’s easy to read as it was designed for a younger audience, but the older you get the, deeper meanings reveal themselves as you follow Meg Murry and her companions on their quest to locate their father and bring him back home.
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger
“I’m sick of just liking people. I wish to God I could meet somebody I could respect.”
I love this classic American novel, and it is surprisingly easy to read. Holden Caulfield is a troubled boy fending off his inner demons as he avoids boarding schools, sneaks into bars, and does his best to cause trouble and turmoil, which is really just a reflection of what is going on inside.
5. Looking for Alaska by John Green
“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.”
Most people equate John Green’s name with The Fault in Our Stars, however this book is equally as good in my opinion. It follows Miles as he begins his schooling at a boarding school. His soon befriends several other students, including Alaska Young. Adventures ensue, and they spend their time at Culiver Creek pranking, drinking, and debating the meaning of life.