Alike for many people who have too much to do and much little time during the school year, I’ve made summer a time for me to enjoy all the “fun” reading I can before diving into textbooks about the inner workings of the brain or looking over lines and lines of code once fall arrives. However, as I slowly lose my status as a completely new adult, I’ve submerged into the routine eight-hour work days, my parents have done so many years before me, for my summer job. Let me tell you, Adulting is tiring. And when you’re tired, you don’t exactly have the energy to read. But that can all change when you discover an absolute page turner.
As I was creating a mental book list that I’d like to read this summer, I was at a lost. I’ve always been a hardcore fan of Young Adult fiction despite how basic it may seem. John Green books completely resonated with me, Chbosky’s “Perks of Being a Wallflower” captured many of the feelings I had going through my early teenage years, and so many series have special places in my heart with my own favorite being the Percy Jackson series (sidenote: the movies didn’t do the books justice whatsoever).
But as a current college student, I felt the need to read more mature content. I wanted to encapsulate more of an adult mindset and diversify my literature. Yet, I found a new Young Adult series to love (and I don’t feel bad that it’s a Young Adult series since I still technically am a young adult).
My friend at my weekend job in retail suggested the first book of The Selection Series by Kiera Cass which has the same title. I was skeptical at first as she described it as somewhat a mixture of the reality show “The Bachelor” in a royal setting with some “Hunger Game”-Esque flair as the Prince is looking for his future queen. It’s definitely that.
I know it sounds a bit superficial but while you go through each chapter and feel the emotional turmoil the main character America goes through, it’s more than just a selection of Prince Maxson’s wife. You see these characters navigate their emotions and discover the immense pressures and stressors surrounding them as well as the entire country. You can see parts of yourself in their shoes. You just get too invested and have to keep going.
I read all three of America’s Selection books in one day each and the fourth book as well. I have one more book to go and I’m beginning to stalk my local library so I can know the ending. It was honestly an easy read but the refreshing feeling of engaging into a new world again. And wanting to do more with that world in a sense figure out who would be the perfect actor for each character and look at other fans comments put you into another dimension of the book. You create a new community when you read.
The discussions stemming from reading can translate into relevant things presently whether in a personal sense or through the news. Hearing other people’s thoughts on characters, plot points, quotes can enlighten you and make you see things in a new perspective. So shout out to summer for giving me the time to reignite my love for reading. Shout out to Lauren for suggesting this series. Shoutout to Kiera Cass for making me love another fictional world.
If you need to add something to your reading list, give “The Selection” a chance. You gotta try it before you say drop it.
