I did an unhealthy amount of reading this winter break. These are my favorite six books this winter, why I loved them and what I learned from them. Also, take a moment to just stare at the artwork.
1. Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell
You can find magic, mystery, and happiness anywhere in the world. You can find dead presidents trapped in hungry horse-bodies, or moth-women making silk for the emperor. You just need to look hard enough for this magic.
2. Milk and Honey By Rupi Kaur
This was the first anthology of poems I’ve read out of class. It taught me that Im not going to Love every New York Bestseller I read. In my opinion, along with the mood of the book, sometimes even the quality of writing oscillated. But geez those moments of utter poetic beauty are TRUELY worth it. This was Rupi Kaurs’ first book and is according to most what propelled her to worldwide fame.
3. Perfume by Patrick Süskind
Initially, I was taken aback by the way in which the book blooms just from olfactory imagery: describing the scent of a baby head to a rain-soaked pavement. Im not going to spoil the ending for you just because the last page or two overwhelmed and exhausted me. This translation from German was once the best-selling book in the world. This book showed me what makes a book “classic.”
4. Lolita By Vladimir Nabokov
This is another classic about a creepy man, and you've probably heard of this one. And no that's not the type of book I like to read ( at least not anymore ). Beautiful prose juxtaposed with disgust I’ve never had before is what makes me want to suggest it.
5. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened By Alexandra Brosh
I finished this book in half a day and its THE MOST humourous book I’ve ever read in a while. It's not filled with heavy and lengthy prose, but people Will stare when you randomly break out into fits of laughter. Also, a SUPER famous a blog written by a 20-something American girl.
6. The Essentials By Harvard Business Review.
Almost all the books I've mentioned till now are fiction. However, this book has ten articles regarding business, some from 1960 some from 2006, all of which to me were extremely relevant and enlightening to get a better idea of the business market. No one ever told me the train industry went downhill because it called itself “the train industry” and not a part of the “transport industry.” Eye-opening!