Finals are almost over and here comes the most wonderful time of the year, winter break. It’s just around the corner and is the PERFECT time to lie around and do nothing.  If you aren’t taking any intercession classes, you have no homework or studying to do for an entire month. And unlike summer vacation, winter break isn’t long enough to be nagged at by your parents to get a job or an internship!  

So with all of this temporary freedom from school, internships and on-campus organizations, this is the ideal time to read that book you’ve been meaning to get around to since the end of summer. Here’s a list of books for those seeking some recommendations:  

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth – The author actually wrote Divergent during winter break at Northwestern University!  This is the first book in the Divergent trilogy that features a sixteen-year-old girl, Tris, struggling with her identity in a post-apocalyptic Chicago. The movie actually came out this year, so you can catch up on both over break. 

6.Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Another popular book that inspired a popular movie this year. Beware: Do not start reading this book unless you are perfectly fine with being unable to put it down until 4:00 a.m. and then fall asleep thinking about all the creepy twists and wondering if the main character, Nick Dunne, is really involved with the disappearance of his wife Amy. 

5.A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – A novel that has been around for a while; however, the book is still moving and gives a perspective on what it’s like being a woman in Afghanistan. This is a deeply emotional book, that isn’t your typical “mother-daughter” story.               

4. American Sniper by Chris Kyle – This memoir about the life of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is about the shocking and dangerous life of the most lethal sniper in American military history. Read the book just before the movie premieres with Bradley Cooper playing the lead role.

3. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – A classic novel that encompasses the spirit of Christmas! Go back to the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge living in Victorian era Britain.  This book actually helped rejuvenate Christmas traditions in England, so if you have a case of the “bah humbugs” this year, maybe this will help break you out of it.              

2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy of The Hobbit will be coming to an end this December, so now is the time to read the book if you haven’t yet. Follow Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on a journey to win a share of treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Since being published in 1937, this beloved work has NEVER been out of print! 

1. Yes Please by Amy Poehler – This is Amy Poehler’s first book as she dishes on hilarious celebrity encounters, love and friendship and advice on when to be funny and when to be serious. This book isn’t all about comedy, it offers serious life advice and insight into the world.