Put down your phone, stop watching television and rediscover your love for reading. Reading a book is a dying art that needs to be brought back and put before Buzzfeed articles, movies, television and cellphones. These ten books may remind you why you love curling up with a good book.
1. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
"The Giver" is about choice. People are always worried about if you’re making the right choices in life’s situations, but what if you stopped making decisions and everything was decided for you? The absence of choice may lead to complete destruction.
2. "The DUFF" by Kody Keplinger
"The DUFF" has no fairytale garbage; it’s reality—awful, complicated, teenage reality. It also is a light-hearted, funny, love story, that will make you feel like you want to be the DUFF of your friend group. This girl isn’t perfect, but she finds herself and decides she is going to love herself anyway. GIRL POWER!
3. "13 Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
"13 Reasons Why" is a powerful, heart wrenching story about the consequences of not treating others how you would want to be treated. Even though someone may look unaffected by your harsh words or judgment it could be eating them alive on the inside.
4. "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" by Ann Brashares
"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" emphasizes the importance of friendships, loyalty and love. At first the book may seem a little superficial and childish, but what they take away from their time apart will last them a lifetime.
5. "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins
"Crank" reflects real life situations of the author’s daughter’s struggle with drug addiction. A young girl who never comes first for her parents so she turns to friends who introduce her to crystal meth. Her world turns upside down and you never know if she will actually make it through this.
6. "The Outsiders" by S. E. Hinton
"The Outsiders" is exactly what it sounds like, a story told from people who may not always fit it and may feel like life is unfair. It shows some real life conflict between the “cool kids” and “the outsiders”. The book emphasizes the importance of staying young and innocent, and treasuring the good friendships you have.
7. "Paper Towns" by John Green
"Paper Towns" goes so much further than the words you read on the pages. On the surface you see a boy who has a serious crush on a girl and will go searching the coast for her, but underneath it has you asking yourself, how different is the person I show to others than the one I really am?
8. "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
"Perks of Being a Wallflower" was banned in many schools for its edgy content. I feel like it exaggerated some situations many people go through when they are coming of age and trying to find themselves. While getting into trouble he is making friends that will last a lifetime. This books goes through so many emotions you feel like you are on a roller coaster, but a really good one.
9. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold
While reading The Lovely Bones, you will find yourself trying to unmask the murderer along with the police. This book may make you cry, but you definitely won’t want to put it down until the end.
10. "Last Dance at the Frosty Queen" by Richard Uhlig
"Last Dance at the Frosty Queen" shows the dreams, hopes, and harsh realities of growing up in a small country town and desperately wanting to escape. This book captures the ever so real longings of teens on the cusp of adulthood, when they aren’t sure what they want, but are sure they want something other than what they have.
