So, You Want to Start Reading...

From a very early age, my parents enforced reading into my rudimentary schedule. My father would read to me as a child, flying through chapters of James and the Giant Peach or slowly turning through Harry Potter as I listened with terror. I loved reading. Most of the time, I would have at least two or three books that I was reading at once. I owned every Ramona and Beezus book ever made and the entire Roald Dahl collection. Reading was my escape as it has been for those of hundreds of generations, as we are all looking for a magical world to jump into; some of wonder and magic mushrooms, others of tragedy and unrequited love.

As I got older, reading didn’t really do it for me anymore. I had bigger, better things to handle, such as school crushes and iPod touch updates. Soon enough, all of my books would wound up at the bottom of my shelves, replaced with CDs, perfumes, and pictures of happy teenagers smiling down on the forgotten literature. Peer pressure didn’t help either. It was considered “uncool” to read and to carry around a book wherever you went. None of my friends read and instead laughed at my collections when coming over for play dates and sleepovers. So I put them all away and stopped reading for pleasure. If it wasn’t school related, I wouldn’t pick it up, no matter how enticing the displays at Barnes and Noble made them seem.

Now, I look back on my error, as we all live in a divided and isolated world, virtually closed off from one another. As we function in solitude, there is nothing more that we want than an escape. And in a time of reflections, what’s a better way to escape than going back to the roots of escapism; literature.

Below I have left 10 book recommendations from one proud reader to another. It's not too late to start your New Year's resolution! Hard copies, soft copies, electronic copies; break these 10 titles in and love the worlds they take you to. They might just seem better than your own.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott:

A classic novel that has proven to stand the test of time, it is so easy to become obsessed with this book. Often misconceived as a predominantly feminine book, Little Women truly has something for everyone. Most any reader can find a character that they relate to in some way, making them feel closer to the story some 150 years after its original publication. For someone that loves to imagine time travelling back to a time where you could be anything you wanted to be, Little Women is a dream come true. Heart-wrenching and inspiring, this book will not disappoint.

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë:

One of my most favorite novels, Jane Eyre is often overlooked by other books written by the ingenious Brontë sisters. The novel follows the life of a girl, neither pretty nor special, as she deals with each stage of her life. This book will test your own resilience as you read of a young woman that deals with mountains of struggle for her small frame. Personally, I found this book hopelessly romantic, tragic, and catastrophic, making it one of my favorite reads. It's great for anyone looking for a love story with an unusual and dark twist.

3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon:

Criminally underrated, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the most thought provoking novels, guaranteed to get you thinking. Surrounding a fifteen year-old boy implied to be on the autism spectrum, the book dives into the shattering pieces of broken families and offers a unique perspective on familiar relationships and their struggles. Don’t worry about wanting to put this book down, as its unorthodox set up and intricacies will keep you glued.

4. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky:

Almost everyone has heard of this book. If you are a teenager, it has most definitely been on your reading list. But don’t shy away from it because of mainstream media. Let this novel run its course all the way to the top of your shelves. The book follows the high school journey of Charlie, a teenage boy looking for love, friends, and untold truth. This is the perfect book as we sit trapped indoors, with barely any school to go to, as the novel gives off a natural high school experience along with a sense of liberty and discovery.

5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell:

If you couldn't of guessed it, Eleanor & Park follows the story of, well, Eleanor and Park. Eleanor, a chubby red-headed girl with a rough family life meets Park, an Asian American boy with a reputation of being an outsider. The two form an unlikely bond, as they fall in love and deal with gender expression, family struggles, and self acceptance. This book, based in the 80s, will show the reader the value of being different and the tiresome chore of figuring it all out. It's also a must read for anyone looking to for an 1980 aesthetic.

6. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld:

As soon as I read this book, I immediately bought the rest of the series. Plagued with unachievable beauty standards, this novel mocks our commercial and materialistic world today. The story is set in a dystopian society, as all teenagers are given the procedure of becoming a “Pretty” or rather physically perfect. Tally, a young girl once excited for her change, decides to rebel at the last minute and escape from the disastrous society before it is too late. Diving into what it truly means to be ‘ugly’ and ‘pretty’, this book is vital to our modern society as we pay for our physical features to be enhanced or changed just because we think we have to look a certain way.

7. Yes No Maybe So by Aisha Saeed and Becky Albertelli:

I read this book last summer and was directly enticed by the use of politics in a teenage-romance kind of novel. The story follows a girl and a boy as they volunteer to political canvas around their town, leading to epic trials of love, understanding, and local activism. This novel is one of a kind as it has two authors, both taking different sides of the story in order to produce something magical, telling the story of two change-yearning teens.

8. Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven:

Holding Up the Universe is a book following two teenagers and their obstacles of love and acceptance. The two characters in the spotlight, Libby and Jack, a spunky girl with a gloomy past and a biracial boy with a severe disorder called prosopagnosia, fall in love with one another as they try to learn to love themselves in an after school detention-like support group. This read is perfect for anyone looking for the typical boy meets girl narrative with a twist.

9. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell:

Yes, I am 16 and I enjoyed reading this adult-y book. Yes, it was educational and informational. Yes, they do reference it on New Girl. But really, this book was really good. I was influenced to read this book by my father who insisted that I would enjoy it. With not too high of hopes, I somewhat dreaded having to read a book that I thought would contain hard language and boring stock market trends. Boy, was I wrong. Instead, this book took me by utter surprise. It was funny, charming, and down-right interesting. I learned so many random facts of information while also getting to participate in interactive activities within the book itself. You should definitely read it if you are looking to be remotely successful in the future or even if you are just looking for something a little bit different to read.

10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer:

We already know how I feel. Read it or else. Don't knock it 'til you try it. But, no, really, read it. Do it for the culture. And for Robert Pattinson.