Fall is finally here! The weather is no longer sweltering, the leaves are turning gold and orange and the rain has at last returned. It’s time to stay in, make a cup of tea and read a good book. Don’t know where to start? No need to worry. Here are eight excellent recommendations for fall reading from the students and staff of UO.
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“People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry
Summary: Despite having everything, Poppy feels stuck. The last time she was really happy was on the last trip she went on with her best friend Alex, even though its ending was less than great. To try to find the same joy she had then, she convinces Alex to go on just one more trip with her.
Genre: Romance
Recommended by: Maria Fast (Freshman, journalism major)
“I just read it last month. It turned me from gloomy fall town into tropical vacation. It was so sweet and cute, the sweet little love story,” Fast said. “It made me want to be in love in December. It’s good reading because it uplifts you out of the gloom and into a little love story.”
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“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews
Summary: Greg is a high school senior and social loner who makes a point not to get too close to anyone — besides his only friend Earl. His system is foiled when his mother insists that he spend time with Rachel, who he kind of dated in Hebrew school, and who has just been diagnosed with leukemia.
Genre: Humor
Recommended by: Aislyn Morrill (Junior, public management major)
“I recommend it because it’s pretty easy and a pretty fast read,” Morrill said. “If you haven’t been reading in a while or you feel like you don’t know where to start, ‘Me and Earl and the Dying Girl’ is a good book to jump back in with.”
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“A Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin
Summary: This fantasy epic follows three stories in the world of Westeros: a growing war between the most powerful families in the land, a threat to the northern wall protecting the Seven Kingdoms and a woman’s rise to power and independence.
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended by: Darius Ghorbani (Junior, pre-business major)
“I think it’s a good book for anyone who’s into fantasy and for anyone who’s seen [Game of Thrones]. I watched it and thought it was a really interesting and fun show,” Ghorbani said. “I know the books have more information and stories that the show might not, so I think it would be more interesting to delve into the books.”
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“The Pretty Little Liars” series by Sara Shepard
Summary: After the body of Alison DiLaurentis is found three years after she vanished, her friends Spencer, Hanna, Aria and Emily find their darkest secrets are in danger when a stalker named “A” threatens to expose them in the name of their former clique leader.
Genre: Teen drama, mystery
Recommended by: Hanna LaPointe (Junior, Chinese and linguistics majors)
“A classic — I’m reading the third one right now. It’s an easy read. It’s really something I started because I’m trying to get back into reading,” LaPointe said. “It’s not hard, and it’s easy to follow. You don’t have to think about it. It’s a nice teen classic — something I can read before bed and not have to worry about the meaning of it.”
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“We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson
Summary: Merricat and Constance Blackwood are two sisters who earned a witchy reputation after the majority of their family died from poison a year earlier. They live a secluded life with their uncle. Their isolated world is threatened by the arrival of their cousin.
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Recommended by: Owen Shannon (Senior, history major)
“I liked it because it’s fairly short. I think it was probably 200 or 300 pages. It just created a really good atmosphere,” Shannon said. “It’s about these two girls who live in this old, abandoned house. And you slowly, over the course of the book, realize more and more about the family’s past. It’s really interesting.”
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“Power vs. Force” by David R. Hawkins
Summary: Psychiatrist Sir David R. Hawkins analyzes the nature of human thought and consciousness to decipher how to instantly tell if a statement is true or false.
Genre: Self-help, non-fiction
Recommended by: KJ Tinsley (Freshman, pre-business major)
“I think it’s good for fall reading No. 1 because everyone is trying to get back into the groove of school,” Tinsley said. “And it really talks about how, oftentimes, the right decision or the correct decision is the simplest one.”
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“East of Eden” by John Steinbeck
Summary: In 1917 Salinas Valley, Cal Trask competes for his father’s love against his much more favored brother Aron. He then finds out his mother, who he long thought dead, is alive and running a brothel.
Genre: Drama
Recommended by: Nicole Ceeland (Sophomore, Earth science major)
“‘East of Eden’ is by a classic author John Steinbeck,” Ceeland said. “It’s a bit bulky, but it has a lot of life lessons in the form of a beautiful story. It’s kind of a retelling of the Book of Genesis but in a less crowded, Christian way. It’s pretty cool.”
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“Gods of Jade and Shadow” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Summary: Casiopea Tun is spending the Jazz Age scrubbing the floors of her rich grandfather’s house. Well, she is until the Mayan god of death decides to send her on a journey.
Genre: Folklore
Recommended by: Katherine Donaldson (UO education librarian)
“It has a lot of Mayan folklore and kind of the Underworld,” Donaldson said. “You know, when things are getting darker outside, it just feels timely.”
