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Sage Osesek

It's a gray winter, and the end of the school year is months away. During these boring months, what better way to enjoy yourself than to read a good book? The following recommendations range from bright and magical to dark and depressing. At least one of these books is sure to satisfy your tastes!

Babel

“Words tell stories. Specifically, the history of those words - how they came into use, and how their meaning morphed into what they mean today - tell us just as much about a people, if not more, than any other kind of historical artifact.”

Babel by R.F Kuang (fantasy, historical fiction): Babel is about Robin swift, an orphan from Canton, China who is adopted by an Oxford professor. He is trained in Latin, Greek, and Chinese to study at Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. Studying at Babel allows him to create magical silver for the British empire. This book captures the academic world of a young Oxford student, yet exposes the vices and oppressive nature of the British empire. Oddly enough, my favorite parts of the book are the footnotes. The author makes fascinating comments about the history of the British empire’s exploitation of Asian countries, China specifically. Babel is historically educational, captivating, and has jaw-dropping plot twists. It is admittedly long, but once you reach the shocking resolution, it is worth the read.

Content/trigger warnings: racism, racial slurs.

Available in the HHS IMC!

The Secret History

“The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.”

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (psychological fiction): It seems like every list recommends this book, but in this case, you must succumb to mob mentality. The Secret History takes the academic, autumn, brown tweed jacket aesthetic to a violent and bloody level. It takes place at an elite college in Vermont with six pretentious Greek students. The students’ studies quickly turn into a dangerous cult that leads to the murder of their friend Bunny. The novel follows the lives of these high-society intellects as they become increasingly deadly. The Secret History is unique in the sense that the main characters are so flawed, snobbish, and unlikeable. The narrator, Richard Papen, is notably unreliable. He describes his fatal flaw as a “longing for the picturesque.” This fact combined with his fellow Greek students’ manipulation creates a story that contains fabrications of the truth. The beauty of this book is that the readers never know the facts and the rationale behind the characters’ appalling actions. Donna Tartt leaves the reader with a strange mix of uncomfortable confusion and shock, yet mesmerization.

Content/trigger warnings: suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, racism, homophobia.

The Bell Jar

“The silence depressed me. It wasn’t the silence of silence. It was my own silence.”

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (fictional autobiography): The way this book is written is an art form in itself. The words flow so beautifully that sometimes I wonder how a real person could possibly write something so flawless. The novel begins with Esther, the protagonist, interning at a magazine in New York City. As we follow her, it becomes apparent that she struggles with her identity, past experiences, and societal norms. She becomes trapped in her depressed and isolated mind—she becomes trapped in a bell jar. Through Esther, we explore a disturbing yet honest depiction of mental health. Although words can’t describe how exceptional this novel is, please note the content/trigger warnings before reading.

Content/trigger warnings: self-harm, attempted rape, suicide ideation, depression, racist language.

Available in the HHS IMC!

Stalking Jack the Ripper

“Fear is a hungry beast. The more you feed it, the more it grows.”

Stalking Jack the Ripper (young adult: mystery, horror fiction): This is a lighter read than the others, but it isn’t any less enthralling. If you are in a reading slump, I recommend this book—it’s a quick read and captivating from page one. The novel follows Audrey Wadsworth as she helps her uncle, a forensic pathologist, and his apprentice, Thomas Cresswell, solve cases. A particularly tricky case comes their way: Jack the Ripper. Stalking Jack the Ripper keeps you suspicious of every character, wary and stressed about Wadsworth’s intense case. If you enjoy crime novels, this is the book for you.

Content/trigger warnings: drug abuse.

Available in the HHS IMC!

Caraval

“Welcome, welcome to Caraval! The grandest show on land or by sea. Inside you’ll experience more wonders than most people see in a lifetime. You can sip magic from a cup and buy dreams in a bottle. But before you fully enter into our world, you must remember it’s all a game.”

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (young adult: fantasy): If you like The Red Queen or The Inheritance Games, this is the book for you. The imagery in Caraval is impeccable. The magical world that formed in my head still sticks with me years after reading it. Scarlett Dragna receives an invitation to Caraval, a mystical performance that the audience participates in. Unfortunately for Scarlett, the performance is more deadly than it seems, centering around her missing sister. With its quick plot, Caraval is also a perfect book to get out of a reading slump.

Available in the HHS IMC!