It’s November and Reading Week is just around the corner. If you’re looking to curl up with your next great read, look no further than this list of book recommendations from the student staff team here at Chapman Learning Commons! Whether you’re interested in science fiction, classic literature, or non-fiction, we’ve got just the book for you.
Keeping Up With Recent Releases:
Always on top of the trends? Here are our favorite new books!
The Inheritance Games
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Mystery Thriller; Young Adult; Romance
Synopsis:
This exciting New York Times bestselling trilogy follows Avery Grambs, a high schooler in Connecticut, who has her life flipped upside down when she receives news that she is to inherit almost all of billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s fortune. Swept into a deadly game, Avery has to learn how to survive the dangerous world of the four Hawthorne grandsons and the mysterious Hawthorne House.
Why Yasmeen loves it:
It’s thrilling and addictive. Plus, who wouldn’t want a random billionaire to leave his entire fortune for them?
Linked: Conquer Linkedln. Get Your Dream Job. Own Your Future
Linkedln Guys
Non-fiction; Self-help
Synopsis:
Published in 2022 by the LinkedIn Guys (Omar Garriott and Jeremy Schifeling), Linked is a practical guide on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile to get more views from recruiters. It also shows you how you can connect with different kinds of people and how you can learn more about an industry or company.
Why India loves it:
This book is helpful for every type of person! Whether you are an entrepreneur or you are hoping to work for a company, this is your guide to building an online professional presence.
Book Lovers
Emily Henry
Contemporary fiction; Romance
Synopsis:
Literary agent Nora Stephens’ life is books, her clients, and her little sister Libby. When finally dragged by Libby into a sister’s trip at Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, Nora unexpectedly bumps into no-nonsense book editor Charlie Lastra. As a series of coincidences keep throwing them together, Nora and Charlie find themselves in a story no one saw coming.
Why Doua loves it:
Emily Henry’s characters are fleshed out very well, so Nora feels real and relatable. I love how Nora is described as an emotionless workaholic when, throughout the book, we paradoxically read about her perspective through her emotions and feelings.
True Stories Well-Told:
Are you interested in non-fiction? Here are our favorites from the genre!
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Matthew Walker
Non-fiction; Science and Health; Self-Help
Synopsis:
Written by Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, Why We Sleep is a fascinating look at the history and science behind sleep. Based on up-to-date research, Walker offers crucial insight into how sleep is important to our physical and mental well-being as well as how we can sleep better every night.
Why Yuqing loves it:
This book is a really interesting read! Sleep is much more important, interesting, and wild than you would think. It also has a lot of information about other species’ sleep, which is very fun to read about.
Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifferences and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Jessica McDiarmid
Non-fiction; Social Justice
Synopsis:
Indigenous women and girls have gone missing or been murdered on Highway 16 to such an extent that the highway has also been known as the Highway of Tears. Journalist Jessica McDiarmid investigates the relentless fight of families and communities for justice, the climate of systemic racism and indifference of the society that failed them, and the importance of learning about and honoring the victims.
Why Chris loves it:
It’s a great book, and it’s important to educate yourself on the injustices that indigenous women have faced in BC.
Short Reads, Tall Tales:
Looking for something you can finish in one setting? Here are our favorite short stories and novellas!
Burning Chrome
William Gibson
Science-Fiction; Short Story
Synopsis:
This exciting science fiction short story by Canadian-American author William Gibson follows two freelance hackers who use a sophisticated Russian hacking software to steal money from a criminal known as Chrome.
Why Maxine loves it:
I really love science fiction, and I think William Gibson is a great introduction to the genre for beginners. I also really love the social commentary the book has to offer.
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Literary Fiction; Novella
Synopsis:
This classic novella follows the experiences of two migrant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, during the Great Depression of the 1930s. One of Steinbeck’s most well-known and well-loved books, Of Mice and Men is a close and profound exploration of ambition, loneliness, hardship, and friendship.
Why Sakura loves it:
It’s one of the classics and relatively short!
Books From Around the World:
Interested in stories from other countries and cultures? Here are our favorite books in translation!
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Milan Kundera
Literary Fiction; Philosophical Fiction
Synopsis:
Set mainly in Prague during the late 1960s and early 1970s, The Unbearable Lightness of Being follows four very different characters in the aftermath of the 1968 Prague Spring, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and the crackdown on liberalization.
Why Amaya loves it:
This modern classic gave me a lot of great insights into many aspects of life and you find yourself relating to a lot of things that the characters experience. Philosophical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I thought it was an enjoyable read!
Breasts and Eggs
Mieko Kawakami
Literary Fiction; Philosophical Fiction
Synopsis:
Breasts and Eggs is a close look at the lives of three women (thirty-year-old Natsuko, her older sister Makiko, and Makiko’s teenage daughter Midoriko) in Tokyo. Kawakami’s intimate account of working class womanhood in contemporary Japan reveals the fear, frustration, and uncertainty of living in a society where the odds are stacked against them.
Why we love it:
This book offers great insight into how society is changing, as well as the challenges and difficulties posed by living against social expectations.
If you have any books you’d like to share, please put them in the comments below!
For more great recommendations from previous blogs, you can find them here:
Must-Reads for Reading Week 2021
Must-Reads for Reading Week 2022
Book cover images from Amazon
