For The Love Of Reading
If I’m completely honest, I think there is no better time to get into reading than on winter break. The conclusion of the semester leads to an absence of work and of formal requirements. There is an obvious chill in the air and a desire to stay warm in bed, preferably horizontal. Even with Netflix, the lure to escape into the pages of a different world is something I always find comforting ahead of the holidays.
I pick up a book that has been on my list forever and finally immerse myself in it fully—without the distractions I loathe during the year that always seem to get in the way. Peace at last.
This is one of the reasons I am sharing this list, one that I have combed through my Goodreads and brain to put together. I want you to find a place to be able to enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures this winter—reading a good book. There is nothing complicated or confusing about the act, but it is in the decision that many of my friends have told me they do not where to start or what would catch their attention.
While I do know the books that I gravitate towards at this point in my reading journey, I wanted to take myself back to the feelings that these novels and stories evoked within me. Whether it was joyful, sad, entertaining or funny—every book had the capacity to bring about feelings that allowed me to be connected to the characters in a personal way. I hope you take these recommendations with a grain of salt, but also with an understanding that a book is always what you make of it. Enjoy the journey, but trust me, this is a very good place to start.
Ursula’s Top Books
The Essential Stars: A Breakdown by Genre
An English major at Barnard (and occasional booktok user), these are the books I would recommend to those wanting to get into reading for the first time or the first time in a long time…
Fiction
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Multiple perspectives revisiting the past rise as well as the fall of Daisy and her band
Loosely inspired by Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac
Like a love song and a sad song coming together
Five Star Weekend by Elin Hildebrand
A woman decides to bring 5 people from different parts of her life together
Set in the gorgeous Nantucket Island during the heart of the summer
The queen of the beach read, you will imagine you are there and feel at ease even with the petty drama
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A marsh girl and a southern boy
A murder
And a lifelong love of nature
All come together in one book that leads you to question it all at the end
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E Schwab
One girl is forced to trade away people remembering her (her name, her face, her everything) in order to live forever
A curse but a blessing?
Until she meets someone like her…and this changes everything
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
One of the funniest books I have read in a long time
A 31 year old comedian gets broken up by his long time girlfriend and is forced to come to terms with his own self-worth
And even though a mental breakdown ensues, it is the perfect material to teach him lessons about life and love and himself
Thriller
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
This does not get a description
A true uncomfortable page turning book
Could not put it down and the plot twist is unlike something I have ever experienced from a thriller
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Longtime fan, have read all her thrillers
This is by far the best one
Set in a gorgeous far away “island” for the opening night of a new hotel
When a murder happens, secrets revealed and longtime connections come back to haunt our main characters
The Last Mrs.Parish by Liv Constantine
Truly one of the best thrillers/dramas I have read
More of a modern day setting
Woman jealous of becoming another, just to realize she may have made the biggest mistake of all in the process
Romance
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Your classic enemies to lovers
Brought me to tears the first time I read it
Truly have never felt as connected to a couple despite also being mad at them
This is also fantasy since it happens to have some magic involved (and there is a sequal)
Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Another forbidden love story that had me begging for more
Our main character strikes a deal with a devilishly handsome prince…to slowly regret it with each passing page
Then I realized there was a second and third and I loved it even more
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
One of the best mythical love stories that truly broke my heart and crushed it after
But I could not look away and need this to become an adaption
Despite the negative reviews, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to feel a yearning to be able to love someone
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
This is Henry’s comedic and promising love story
When two best friends travel together every summer for 10 years, whats the worst that can happen
Or the best….
Honorable Mentions (if you are feeling a little more daring, sad or intrigued)
Ninth House by Leah Bardugo
Took me two months to read last fall
Our main character is brought into the world of nine secret societies at Yale University, a dark complex web of lies forming around her
Trigger warning: dark academic fantasy, you will get confused
Normal People by Sally Rooney
I fully felt like I was going to throw up during parts of this book it made me so mad and sad. But it was utterly poetic too.
But also it was so beautiful and I felt seen as well
So do with that what you will
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
One of the most poignant and thought-provoking thriller/fiction books I have read
A longer read, a woman and her son must flee to the United States illegally
Touching, emotional, painful, hopeful but raw
If We Were Villains by M.L Rio
Another dark academic book, this time centered on a small group of friends and classmates at an elite arts college
One fateful night turns people against each other as we reflect on the past with them
Edge of the seat, in a long and slow and semi painful way
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
For the history buffs and the nerds, read this for school last year
Found myself loving this as feeling akin to the lost generation
For anyone who also feels lost, reflecting on their youth and “innocence” will make you think about the life you have lived so far
Photo Credits: Ursula Vollmer (Bookculture, 112th and Broadway), Pintrest