I love to read. End of story. But, for the last few years, I have struggled in finding time to read for myself. With the new semester starting, I want to make sure I dedicate time each day to read outside of my required class materials. So step one; set aside twenty minutes to read. Instead of being on my phone for two hours in bed, I can read for twenty minutes, or more if I'm feeling rebellious. But this next step is the hardest; picking which book to read first. I currently have 260+ books on my reading list. Out of those 260 books, my plan for this semester is to read six of them before Christmas Break. Below are the books I plan on reading, thanks to a random number generator, in addition to the reason I chose the book. Happy reading!
1. "Damaged" by Amy Reed
I have not read any of Amy Reed's books before, but this one seemed interesting to me. When it comes to life-changing events, people's reactions are everything. This book is full of how people cope, in good ways and bad. Just seeing how the human mind interprets the world around them draws me in, and I can't wait to see how the character's in this book try to overcome what happens to them.
2. "Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay
roxanegay
Last fall, this was one of the books I read for my creative writing class. This book is a collection of essays and I only read three for class. However, I really enjoy Roxane Gay's stories and writing style and would love to read more of her work. I also want to read this book because it is different from the books I have read in the past. I usually read fiction, and, in college, I was introduced to essays (but not the ones you dread writing in high school). So, since I know I am already interested in Gay's writings, I might as well finish and read a different book style.
3. "Stiff" by Mary Roach
maryroach
For one of my summer reads in high school, I was required to read "Packing for Mars." While that wasn't my favorite book (because outer space is not my favorite topic), I liked Roach's approach to explaining space travel for those who don't have a deep understanding of space. As for this book, I think this is an extremely interesting topic.
4. "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead
colsonwhitehead
Another one finding from this past fall is "The Underground Railroad." The author, Colson Whitehead, came to visit our school for a reading and a Q & A. During his reading, I was instantly hooked to the story and knew I had to finish. I know this will be a hard book to read, emotionally, but I can't wait to finish his work.
5. "Six Months Later" by Natalie D. Richards
natalierichards
This book checks all the boxes for me. Mystery, thriller, twists and all things I love when it comes to choosing a book. This is an author I have never read before, but the description is what sold this book for me. It seems like this will be a book that keeps me up late at night.
6. "The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman
wiki
On my Pinterest page, I have an entire board dedicated to even more books I want to read. Because of this, I have recommended books popping up all the time and this is one of them. Sometimes I get genre recommendations and this one book came from a grouping of World War II books. This book stood out to me because of its title. I wanted to learn about the zookeeper's wife and see why she was important. I can't wait to find out after reading this book.
Photo by 
