The 2016 election was a doozy. Whether your candidate won or lost, we must accept the results and begin to unwind from the extreme tension we've experienced in recent months. First, breathe. Second, find your special way to relax.
Shockingly enough, my chosen de-stress method is reading. (Sigh. I'm predictable.)
If you share my need to snuggle down with a good book after a stressful day, I have you covered.
1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.
If you've already read every Harry Potter book a million times, make it a million and one. If you haven't read any Harry Potter books, start now. (Skip The Cursed Child, though.)
Do I need to write a synopsis for Harry Potter? I don't think I do. Instead, I'll end this with an amusing quote from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." (Philosopher's Stone if you belong to the rest of the world.)
"I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you."
2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Bilbo Baggins is your typical Hobbit. He enjoys eating and minding his own business. That is, until the day he is asked to join a band of dwarves to reclaim a stolen mountain (and treasure, of course). If you need an adventure, read "The Hobbit."
"Where there's life, there's hope."
3. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini.
Craig Gilner is depressed. He's in the most prestigious high school in Manhattan, but he can't keep up. He comes to the decision to end his life. Before this happens, he finds a book on grief. He calls the Suicide Prevention Hotline and checks himself into the nearest hospital. During Craig's stay, he regains an interest in life.
Ned Vizzini, the author, based this book on his experiences with depression and suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, he took his life in 2013.
"That's all I can do. I'll keep at it and hope it gets better."
4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell.
Lincoln is the new IT guy at a newspaper. Essentially, his job is to filter through the e-mail server and ensure that the employees use their e-mail for work.
Beth and Jennifer are best friends and newspaper employees. They ignore the e-mail rules, which frequently puts their quippy conversations in Lincoln's inbox. Before long, he falls in love with one of them, but he can't reveal himself without admitting how much he knows.
Rainbow Rowell's writing is hilarious and fresh. If you want to make the leap from YA to general fiction, this is the book that will get you there.
"But the aching faded, too. Things get better – hurt less – over time. If you let them."
5. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.
Before college, most of my history courses skimmed over the internment camps that the United States had during World War II. "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" transports readers to 1940's Seattle. Henry is a Chinese boy with a father who wants to Americanize his son. Henry is typically ignored by the white children at school, but his perspective changes when he meets Keiko, a Japanese American student. People treat Keiko with unwarranted hostility, and it shows readers that things haven't exactly changed.
"He'd do what he always did, find the sweet among the bitter."
