Start your spring off right with a new book
Spring is in the air! The perfect time to go outside, watch the flowers bloom, and crack open a new book! If you’re struggling to find something to read: here are a few spring suggestions!
The first selection is a college set romance, “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell. This one may be a little bit cliché, but it’s a perfect light and fun read for spring. Cath is the ultimate fangirl, and her immensely popular “Simon Snow” fan-fiction proves that. But Cath is starting her first year of college, and her twin sister and best friend Wren is pulling away from both the fandom and Cath.
As she moves through her first year of college, Cath struggles with identity, abandonment, and that weird but cute boy that keeps hanging around her roommate. Self-discovery, a cute romance, and a little bit of magic makes this book a must read this spring! Plus, Rowell’s writing style is almost impossible to put down. So, pick up a copy of “Fangirl” and get ready to relive your freshman year all over again.
Another novel to pick up this spring is called “Wrecked” by Maria Padian. Please note: this book does contain content that would be triggering for those sensitive to subjects of sexual assault and rape.
In this dual narrative, Haley and Richard find themselves on opposing ends of a school-wide investigation. Haley’s roommate Jenny says she was raped at a college party, while Richard’s suitemate Jordon swears it was a hookup. All the while, Padian weaves the truth of what happened that night between the chapters, telling a story that might just dispel the stereotype of “his side, her side, and the truth.”
The decision to write from an outside perspective allows for open and honest discussion of the topic while maintaining the distance that many college students will experience. It uses the reality of the situation to demonstrate realistic human reactions, and provide insight into how readers can be better friends and support systems. Despite the heaviness of the topic, Padian still manages to weave humor and mystery into the story, creating a novel that’s almost impossible to put down.
If you’re looking for something really dark this spring, try picking up Emma Cline’s chilling drama, “The Girls.” Evie Boyd is a twelve-year-old girl in the tumultuous end of the 1960s. She feels trapped and completely alone, the perfect combination of desperate and impressionable.
Centered on a cult as frightening as the Manson family, “The Girls” focuses on one of life’s most frightening questions: what is it about someone’s life that would leave them vulnerable to a psychopath? Fair warning, the language of the book is unnecessarily dense, but the story beneath the language is well worth the digging.
Cline takes her time investing in and describing Evie’s life, telling you exactly how she was susceptible to a cult leader’s lies. And once Evie makes her way to the ranch, you won’t be able to escape Cline’s story.
With warm weather fast approaching, it’s time to use that extra hour of sunlight and delve into a whole new world!