As college students tend to read a lot for classes already, reading for fun usually ends up on the backburner of our list of things to do. However, reading for fun has a lot of benefits. It can help you read faster, expand your vocabulary, increase your sense of achievement, and promotes relaxation. It can even help to improve your writing skills. If you are lost on what books you should read for fun next, here are some recommendations.
1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
I read this book last semester when I was stuck in the library with nothing to do except to procrastinate. I completed it by the next morning because I refused to put it down. It was that good. Yes, I ignored responsibilities to finish this. But, it was worth it. And, if you don’t trust me, trust Reese Witherspoon, who is producing the upcoming movie.
2. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
I recommend this book to everyone I can. It is a collection of essays by Marina Keegan, a rising literary star who had just graduated Yale magna cum laude, and had a job lined up for herself at The New Yorker. Five days after graduation, she was killed in a car crash. I have read all essays cover to cover multiple times, and highly recommend any one who is in college, freshman or senior, to read the essay the book is named after, “The Opposite of Loneliness”.
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Just a warning that you will cry. It is so good. I recommend this book if you need a good cry.
Synopsis: It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she cannot resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids, as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
4. Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown
Everyone who is in college should read this book. It has answers you did not even know you needed. If you are like me, and have no idea what you are doing with your life, this book will make things feel not as terrible (kinda). It’s a quick, fun, read that is perfect for when you are waiting for your next class to start.
5. Sadie by Courtney Summers
This was the most recent book that kept me up super late because I could not put it down. It was so good, and is just a fast read. It is a Serial-like crime podcast in book form. The book follows Sadie, a girl that goes missing as she tries to find her younger sister’s killer, and a popular radio personality that starts a podcast that is dedicated to finding her. There is a twist ending that I am still trying to wrap my head around.
Whether it is between classes, or during a study break, reading for fun has a lot of benefits, most notably (in my opinion!) stress relief. If you’re stressed, try picking up a good book to chill out.