Finding time to read in our busy lives can be pretty difficult, but it’s always good to have a way to slow down at some point during the day and enter a different world from your own where it seems like nothing else matters except for the story that you are engrossed in. Reading can obviously help to reduce the stress in your life, and everyone should be trying to reduce stress, so here are some books that you should pick up to read this month.
1. "Behold the Dreamers"
A unique take on the "American Dream," "Behold the Dreamers" was a beautifully written book about a man and his family trying to make life in America work. As immigrants in the country from Cameroon here on different types of visas, the characters struggle to adapt to the cultural differences and stay afloat financially, all while trying to finish their education or gain their United States citizenship. This book makes you step back and think about the struggles that many deserving immigrants go through trying to make their ways into this country for a better life, and it ends in a satisfyingly realistic way compared to many of the other books out there in the literary world.
2. "Mosquitoland"
"Mosquitoland" is a fun, endearing book about a teenage girl who struggles to fit in, and who simultaneously also seeks adventure by boarding a bus in search of her mom. Of course, this bus ride takes all kinds of turns that contribute to the story, but overall, this was a nice book to spend time reading. There are points where it can seem like just another story about a weird girl who didn’t fit in, but at the same time, there are many scenes that are super serious and down-to-earth, which drew me in.
3. "Rich People Problems"
Probably my favorite book of the bunch, "Rich People Problems" was a lengthy story about the drama that occurred between a bunch of rich Asian families after a grandmother and owner of a large estate passed away. There is humor in almost every aspect of the book, but there are also parts that contribute to a greater plot that is more than just a bunch of crazy, rich people fighting over money. There are complexities to each character, and even though it is extremely hard to keep track of who is who (even with the included family tree in the front of the book), the dynamics of the characters are well thought out and interesting to read. I couldn’t put this book down because I became so involved in the characters and the overall “mystery” of the plot. Highly recommend.
4. "Turtles All The Way Down"
I haven’t actually read this book, but I have been told that it is truly superb and probably John Green’s best work. A story covering the themes of OCD and the fact that it's okay to not be okay, I know that this book has been highly anticipated and that its reviews are soaringly high, so I’m sure that it deserves its spot on this list, I just haven’t gotten around to reading it.
