Ever since I was a little girl, I loved to read. My mom would read to my sister and I when we were younger, and once we were able to read on our own, she would encourage us to read as much as we could. My mom's constant encouragement to further my education really fostered my love for reading. I could easily turn down a night of bar hopping to read a book instead. I love reading because it allows you to escape from the daily routine of your everyday life. Now don't get me wrong, I love my life, but sometimes, I just need a break, and books provide me that. One of our content creators from my university wrote an article on some of her favorite books to read, and I thought it was a brilliant idea. We all have our own tastes in books; personally, I hate romance books for the most part and love thrillers, memoirs, and dramas. If we have similar tastes in reads or if you just need a new book in your life, here are some of my suggestions.

1. The "Robert Langdon" Series By Dan Brown

"Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire." -- "The Da Vinci Code"

Besides the Harry Potter series, "The Robert Langdon Series" by Dan Brown has to be my favorite series of all time. This series includes the critically acclaimed works of Dan Brown -- "Angels and Demons", "The Da Vinci Code", "The Lost Symbol", and "Inferno". All four of these novels follow a world-renowned art historian and symbologist, Robert Langdon. In each book, Robert is called to a crime, usually a murder, that has some tie to symbology and art. All four of these novels occur in various different places in Italy. What Robert Langdon uncovers in these symbols only leaves to bigger mysteries and controversies on world organizations, from the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church to the World Health Organization. These books are fast paced, and for those interested in mystery, specifically conspiracies within huge organizations, I would definitely recommend. A bonus to this series is that you do not have to read the four books in sequential order, and can understand the plot in whichever book you decide to read first.

2. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search For Everything Across Italy, India, And Indonesia" By Elizabeth Gilbert

"This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something."

As I have gotten older, I have found myself enjoying self-help and memoirs a little bit more than I used to. For anyone with the travel bug, this book is a must. Maybe you have seen the screen adaptation of "Eat, Pray, Love," but the book, as usual, is way better. "Eat, Pray, Love" follows the author, Elizabeth Gilbert's, search for happiness. She has recently ended an unhappy marriage and longs to find happiness again. A journalist, she decides to take a year-long sabbatical to travel the world and write on her reflections. She travels to three places and spends four months in each location -- Italy, India, and Indonesia. Each location focuses on a different aspect she found herself achieving. In Italy, she ate, completely submerging herself in Italian culture and meeting new people. In India, she prayed. She stayed at an ashram for four months and worked through her emotions after her divorce. In India, she loved. She eventually let go of all her emotions and opened herself up to the world. This book isn't your typical memoir and is bound to have you turning each page.

3. "The Happiness Project" By Gretchen Rubin

"The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit."

This book is not your ordinary self-help book. "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin follows her desire to achieve personal happiness, something that is often considered "selfish" in modern day society. Rubin sets monthly goals for herself, focusing on habits she would like to fix and/or acquire. This book focuses on different ways the reader can improve the quality of their everyday life, even if he/she may be living an already seemingly good life.

4. "Binge" By Tyler Oakley

"Check thyself before thy wreck thyself."

This book had me laughing out loud the entire time I read it. "Binge"follows the YouTube phenomenon that is Tyler Oakley. The tell-all is a collection of stories throughout Oakley's life that helped form him into the man he is today. From mishaps in the dating world to coming out as gay to his family, friends, and the world to achieving his dreams, "Binge" is a poignant tell-all that tackles heavy topics in a light-hearted and comical manner, while still being able to get his message across. Even if you have never watched Tyler Oakley's videos on YouTube, I would still highly recommend it.

5. The "Harry Potter" Series By J.K. Rowling

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest time if only one remembers to turn on the light." -- "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"

The Harry Potter series is a must read and a rite of passage for any young adult. One of the all-time best selling series, J.K. Rowling writes about a young wizard named Harry Potter who is raised by his non-wizard, or "muggle", aunt and uncle, the Dursley's. Harry's parents were murdered by the dark lord, Lord Voldemort, and the series follows Harry growing up, while also having to take on Lord Voldemort, since he is "The Boy Who Lived". Definitely a must read.

6. "Looking For Alaska" By John Green

"The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive."

Remember how I said how I hate romance novels? John Green is an exception. "The Fault In Our Stars" and "Paper Towns" may be awesome books, but "Looking For Alaska" is, in my opinion, his best work. "Looking For Alaska" follows a boy named Miles "Pudge" Halter as he leaves his home state of Florida to attend boarding school in Alabama. While at the boarding school, he befriends two people -- Chip, a.k.a. "The Colonel", Martin and Alaska Young, a beautiful but severely emotionally unstable girl. The novel follows the three's journey throughout boarding school and trying to find themselves. One night, Alaska receives a phone call that leaves her in hysterics, and she drives off drunk, crashing into a tree and dying on impact. What seems like a cut and dry death, Pudge and The Colonel decide to do their own investigation. What they uncover about Alaska and her death is the biggest mystery of them all. This is a great mesh of teen romance and mystery and would highly recommend Green's first novel to anyone.

7. "The Great Gatsby" By F. Scott Fitzgerald

"No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart."

If I tell you to read any classical book, read "The Great Gatsby." The novel follows a variety of characters living in wealthy West Egg, Long Island, New York during the summer of 1925. The main character is a young and mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and the story follows his fascination and unrequited love for a former debutante and socialite, Daisy Buchanan. The novel focuses on many different themes, from the acquisition of wealth (new money vs. old money), the age of idealism, and of course, love. This novel is full of mystery, specifically with Jay Gatsby. If you didn't read it in high school, I highly encourage you to read it now.

8. "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" By Betty Smith

"The world was hers for the reading."

This novel has to be one of the most inspiring novels on my list, and rightfully so. Written in the 1940s, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" takes place at the turn of the 20th century and follows the main character, Francie Nolan, and her family. Francie has grown up in extreme poverty, living in tenant housing in the slums of New York her whole life. Her father is an alcoholic who cannot keep a steady job and ultimately dies from the addiction. While Francie is faced with many hardships in her life, she still constantly tries to achieve the American Dream. She fights for an education and works to hopefully achieve her dreams someday. In a world where few believe in the American Dream, this book is enlightening and inspiring.

9. "Night" By Elie Wiesel

"Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere."

Sad yet inspiring, we cannot forget history. "Night" by Elie Wiesel follows his journey through the Holocaust. Wiesel, a Jewish Romanian, was put in the concentration camps along with his father at age 15 under the Hitler regime. "Night" follows the horrible realities that he faced while in the Auschwitz--Birkenau and Buchenwald concentration camps. His father ultimately dies from a beating in Buchenwald weeks before the camps are liberated. I found myself weeping for the immense injustice inflicted upon Jewish Europeans, simply because of their religion. In order to understand the Holocaust, you need to read "Night."

10. "The Help" By Kathryn Stockett

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

Finally, my last book focuses on the American Civil Rights Movement. The novel is about African American maids in the 1960s who culminate their stories to describe the continual injustices that African Americans still face. The main characters in the book are Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan. Skeeter, despite being born into a wealthy southern family, takes it upon herself to understand the plights and injustices that these African American women and the African American community in general faced. This book is funny, poignant, and, as expected, sad at times.

Hopefully, you find at least one book off of this list that you enjoy. Happy reading!