With just under two months left in the semester, your workload is going to get intense. What’s the best way to forget how miserable and stressed you are? Reading.
During the next few stressful weeks, make time for yourself to relax by reading one of these five books:
“Film for Her” by Orion Carloto (4/5)
“Film for Her” by Orion Carloto is a collection of poems and photography that Carloto believes represents her life or where she found beauty in ordinary places.
I find this book especially valuable to college students who are learning to navigate life. Carloto’s personal adventures of growing up and how she views the world can provide a different perspective on life and ways to deal with what the universe throws at you.
The photography in the book reminds readers that memories happen in and around the most ordinary places and objects. It also serves as a reminder that it’s important to slow down and enjoy the time you have here.
One of my personal favorite excerpts of this book is “Self-portrait of My Adolescent Insecurities.” This poem discusses traits you gained from your parents that made you insecure in childhood, and how you’re still coming to terms on how to appreciate them.
“The reflection serves nothing more than a reminder that these are all the things I should feel so lucky to love and yet, I’m still learning,” Carloto writes.
“A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara (5/5)
Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” is a gut-wrenching book about four men’s friendship and how they manage to navigate life through addiction, suicide, relationships, success and pride.
Yanagihara begins the book by setting the scene in New York City. The tight knit group of friends – William, Jean-Baptiste “JB”, Malcolm and Jude – are all young adults fresh out of New England University. They begin setting up their lives by attending parties, apartment shopping and scraping money together to dine at their favorite restaurants.
The book takes a turn from carefree young adult life as piece by piece Jude’s traumatic past is revealed. Yanagihara takes readers on a journey through suffering and the difficult path of recovery.
At every moment, the reader will find themselves begging Yanagihara for consolations and a happy ending, which she denies.
Each man in the group becomes extremely successful in their careers. None of them struggle for materialistic items but realize that life has significantly more problems than the money and fame they once longed for.
“Yanagihara’s novel can also drive you mad, consume you, and take over your life,” said Jon Michaud in a review of the book for The New Yorker.
She has set the book up with each section being a different character’s perspective, allowing the reader to experience emotions and intel from each of them. This book is vexing and will have you hoping for the best, only to be let down again and again.
At just over 800 pages, “A Little Life” is not for the weak minded. At times the reader may feel so disturbed and queasy they want to set it down. But Yanagihara creates a beautiful, full circle story of life and the struggles and joy that come with it, making this book worth your time.
“The Architecture of Happiness” by Alain de Botton (4/5)
“The Architecture of Happiness” by Alain de Botton introduces a new way of thinking about architecture and human nature that you might not have ever considered.
Have you ever thought of why everyone chooses different styles of homes to live in? Or maybe why everyone has a preference on particular furniture pieces they like?
De Botton believes that perhaps these choices have an impactful force behind them, and that buildings embody the feelings and emotions of those who design them and those who choose to inhabit them. Through lines and curvature, you are able to understand the meaning behind the art.
“What we search for in a work of architecture is not in the end so far from what we search for in a friend,” writes de Botton.
Happiness and great architecture go together. If you are happy with the way a space looks and feels, you are going to thrive.
De Botton believes that “bad architecture” is merely the result of psychology and the architect not understanding themselves and their true desires in life.
“It is an example expressed through materials of the same tendency which in other domains will lead us to marry the wrong people, choose inappropriate jobs and book unsuccessful holidays: the tendency to not understand who we are and what will satisfy us,” said de Botton.
If you’re looking for a new perspective in your life or are wanting to understand a little more about architecture and yourself, this book is perfect for you.
“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4/5)
“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a captivating novel about the Riva family and all of the drama they go through being the children of music sensation, Mic Riva. It tells the story of their upbringing through a series of flashbacks throughout the book.
Siblings Nina and Jay are talented surfers, Hud is a famous photographer and Kit is their little sister. But all of the siblings have secrets, many revolving around the hatred of their father.
What makes this novel unique though is how the plot takes place in one day, when Nina hosts the annual Riva epic summer party. What will happen to the family when all of the secrets unravel?
If you’re looking for excitement and mystery, this book is perfect for you. This unforgettable night will keep the reader on their toes wondering what will happen next.
“Normal People” by Sally Rooney (3/5)
“Normal People” by Sally Rooney is a different read because of the style it’s written in. Rooney makes the interesting choice of taking away the use of quotes around dialogue. While some may find this off-putting, she uses this technique to create an intimate connection with the reader.
The book goes through the romantic lives of Marianne and Connell. The pair grew up close but had to keep their relationship secret due to their different social classes. However, they reunite in college and rekindle their relationship.
Many conflicts throughout the book will keep readers engaged and uneasy. Although Connell is most comfortable with Marianne and believes he can tell her anything, he struggles with himself. What will happen when Connell’s insecurities get the best of him, and he begins to wonder what society thinks of their relationship?
“Being alone with her is like opening a door away from normal life and then closing it behind him,” Rooney writes.
If you’re looking for a romantic book with lots of ups and downs, “Normal People” is perfect for you. But if reading isn’t your thing, this book has also been made into a Hulu show starring Paul Mascal as Connell and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne.
