Spring Break Reading List

Photo from Flickr.com by rachel sian

For those of us that are not lucky enough to go gallivanting across the United States or to other fabulous international destinations this spring break, we are stuck doing the things we typically always do.  Personally, one thing I use to brighten my spring break is by making a great reading list to lay out by the pool and complete.  Here are this spring’s must-reads:

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

You’ve probably heard of this book through the HBO series Game of Thrones, but the TV show actually began with the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire. The story follows many characters throughout their journeys across the Seven Kingdoms and across the ocean, as characters young and old face terrors beyond imagination, watch people they love die, and attempt to ensure that the person they want ends up on the Iron Throne.  One of the most interesting and exhilarating parts of this book is that Martin has no qualms against killing off characters, typically ones the readers like. Each page turned is another step closer to a possible demise.  The book is rather long, but don’t let that put you off!  You won’t care about the page count once you fall into the story.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Yes, this is another book turned into film.  Yes, you’ve probably heard from all your friends you should read it. Yes, you should read it.  The book takes place many years in the future, where the United States, now known as Panem, has been separated into twelve districts, ruled by the all-consuming power of The Capitol. Each year, every district is forced to offer up a boy and a girl to fight to the death in the Hunger Games, with the winner receiving infinite riches. We follow Katniss Everdeen, our heroine, into the Games; this page-turner keeps you guessing who will survive and who will die. Plus, the movie comes out the 23^rd, so you better start reading soon!

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

When is a better time to read about a young heroine who falls desperately in love with a young man but suspects his father of devious crimes, than while basking in the sun? The novel is a hilarious commentary on the Gothic novel of the Romantic period, with a not-so-heroine-like main character as her constant readings of Gothic novels affect her perception on reality.  This is the same Jane Austen who wrote Pride and Prejudice, which you dreaded reading in school, but Northanger Abbey is definitely worth checking out (if only for the fantasticness of the character Henry Tilney).

This is just a short list for you, and there are plenty more spring break reading ideas out there. Now start cracking those spines and read!