With spring break just around the corner, our brains are ready to be turned off for a while. We'll go home, see some friends, but then what? When you're winding down for the night, settle in with one of these easy reads to keep your brain working!
1. "Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You" by Lin Manuel Miranda.
"NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the creator and star of 'Hamilton,' with beautiful illustrations by Jonny Sun, comes a book of affirmations to inspire readers at the beginning and end of each day." - Amazon.com, buy it here.
An easy, quick read that will leave you happy and reassured. I suggest listening to Lin Manuel-Miranda read it himself on YouTube.
2. "Along for the Ride" by Sarah Dessen.
"Nights have always been Auden's time, her chance to escape everything that's going on around her.
Then she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac, and he becomes her nocturnal tour guide. Now, with an endless supply of summer nights between them, almost anything can happen..." - Amazon, get it here.
Although this takes place during summer, it's a fun, adventurous love story to get you ready for Spring and Summer!
P.S. - This is one of my favorite books to read every year.
3. "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell.
"In Rainbow Rowell's 'Fangirl,' Cath is a Simon Snow fan. OK, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving." - Barnes and Noble, get it here.
In my book (get it, haha ) this is a classic. We're in college... this book is about college, and it's light-hearted enough not to give you flashbacks to finals week.
4. "Anna and the French Kiss" by Stephanie Perkins.
"Anna can't wait for her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a good job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's not too thrilled when her father unexpectedly ships her off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair, the perfect boy. The only problem? He's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her crush back home. Will a year of the romantic near-misses end in the French kiss Anna awaits?" - Amazon, get it here.
Another light and fluffy read that will leave you weeping and wanting to go to college in Paris to meet a dreamy boy and fall in love.
5. "The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck" by Mark Manson.
"...There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k' is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives." - Amazon, get it here.
Did you have a rough winter? Did you care too much about things that were going on, did you have trouble accepting things that you can't change? Mark Manson lays everything out flat in this self-help book.
6. "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" by Robin Sloan.
I read this a while ago, and if you like adult adventure books, check this one out. It takes place in a mysterious bookstore, and that's all I'm going to tell you. Go into it blind and you'll enjoy it much more.
Get it here.
7. "The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight" by Jennifer E Smith.
"Quirks of timing feature in this romantic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver find that true love can be unexpected." - Amazon, get it here.
This isn't a personal favorite of mine, but it's just cheesy enough that it's enjoyable as a quick one-off. Jennifer E. Smith writes a lot of cutesy novels perfect for when you're trying to wind down.
8. "The Year of Yes" by Shonda Rhimes.
"...With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. And then, over Thanksgiving dinner, her sister muttered something that was both a wake-up and a call to arms: You never say yes to anything. Shonda knew she had to embrace the challenge: for one year, she would say YES to everything that scared her." - Amazon, get it here.
From the absolute legend that brought us Grey's Anatomy comes "The Year of Yes," a book all about becoming the person that says 'yes' instead of 'no' to everything.
9. "The Sun is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon.
"Natasha: I'm a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I'm definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won't be my story.
Daniel: I've always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents' high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?" - Barnes and Noble, get it here.
Nicola Yoon, author of "Everything, Everything" (now a major motion film starring Amandla Stenberg), tells a great story set of love but also the struggle of race and ethnicity in America, in the span of 24 hours. I can always read Yoon's books in a day or less, and this was no exception. A truly stunning novel.
10. "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas (author of The Hate You Give).
"...Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri's got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri's life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it." - Goodreads, get it here.
I personally have never read a book of Thomas' but they've received rave reviews. They're not exactly light-hearted, but they tell stories that need to be told.
