I was one of those kids who always had a book in hand.
My parents met in the very library, blocks from my childhood home, where I spent the summer days hauling books back and forth.
But as I got older, that love for reading died out.
Why?
Life got busy. Between school, work, and the gradual onset of adulthood chores…sitting down to read fell to the very bottom of the list.
Does it sound familiar?
I missed it. I missed being enthralled in a new book, lost for hours passed a reasonable bedtime. An afternoon gone to a story so enticing I left my own world completely.
There’s something so romantic about reading: the creased pages, bent book spine, or hot cup of tea that cools with each passing chapter. It’s escapism like no other.
So how do you fall back in love with reading?
Simple. You find the perfect book.
Let me introduce you to the ones that made me fall in love again.
All the Lives I Want
By Alana Massey
Why We Love It:
“I never realized Sylvia Plath had blond hair!”
My friend and I had been talking about our favorite women from history- and I mentioned my love for Sylvia Plath. I had seen black and white photos of the famous poet before… but never thought much about her hair color.
When I think of Sylvia Plath- I think solemn and mournful. But in photos? She’s bright and downright bubbly. It’s funny that something as simple as hair color can change your perspective on a historical figure.
Alana Massey examines our relationship with historical women in All the Lives I Want. Massey digs deep into their lives, comparing the similarities and differences we share with them.
This 15 essay collection isn’t your standard celebrity tell-all. Instead, through research, humor, and personal anecdotes, Massey paints stories of shared struggles and triumphs familiar to us all.
In her best essay, Heavenly Creatures: The Gospels According to Lana, Fiona, and Dolly, Massey covers the sexualization of these three singers and the impact it had on their lives.
However, All the Lives I Want: Recovering Sylvia, is my favorite. In it, she discusses Sylvia Plath’s power in giving a voice to young women and their emotions- something both Massey and I admire. But truthful to the poet’s tragic life, Massey also discusses striking a balance between admiration and recognizing the darker truths to Plath’s story.
This book’s short essay layout is perfect for the lost bibliophile, looking to reclaim the habit of reading without the pressure of committing to an entire novel.
Who It’s For: Poets and History Lovers
The New Jim Crow
By Michelle Alexander
Why We Love It:
Published three years before the start of the Black Lives Matter movement, The New Jim Crow continues to grow in relevancy.
In this harrowing work, civil rights lawyer and legal scholar Michelle Alexander compares the current prison industrial system to a modern day caste system. Alexander offers well-presented professional insight into the abusive nature of the prison system and it’s intentional targeting of African Americans.
Alexander shines a light on the racial motives behind the war on drugs, the fallacy of colorblindness, and the second class status relegated to prison inmates.
“We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it,” says Alexander.
If you’ve been inspired to pick up something that will open your world, or want to be a well-educated advocate on this dire and relevant issue, The New Jim Crow comes highly recommended.
Who It’s For: Women who want to change the world.
Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation
By Kyo Maclear
Why We Love It:
John James Audubon meets Emily Dickens in this beautiful exploration of one woman’s journey into the world of bird watching.
Kyo Maclear meets a man in love with birds- and decides to study the nature of bird watching to understand his passion. But instead of studying exotic birds, Maclear watches the birds in her own city of Toronto. In this work she explores the “songbird superhighway” running through Toronto, documenting the urban life of the birds around her.
But Birds Art Life is more than a dive into the world of urban ornithology.
It’s a story of love, turmoil, and Maclear’s own personal growth- told through an emotionally gripping narrative.
Looking past the noise of city life, Maclear’s study is a contemplative look into finding joy and solace in the small things.
Who It’s For: Animal Lovers, Introverts, and Naturalists
The Ungrateful Refugee
By Dina Nayeri
Why We Love It:
Gratefulness. It’s the central theme of this book, and Nayeri talks about grappling with this feeling of owed gratitude her entire life.
Nayeri’s award winning book grapples with the concept of America’s “land of opportunity” attitude as an immigrant facing clear trauma and trials of adjusting to a new way of life. The Ungrateful Immigrant forces the reader to address their own internal biases and reshape the lens through which we view our country’s immigrants.
Nayeri work is sometimes sorrowful, sometimes funny, but always honest.
Who It’s For: Philosophers, World Leaders, Travelers
Girl in the Woods
By Aspen Mattis
Why We Love It:
Last year my mom made the commitment to hike 100 miles in the month of September.
It consumed her every spare moment. What she read, what she watched…
And if I wanted to spend time with her? We went hiking.
We spent hours together at The Nature Institute- Illinois’ largest privately owned nature preservation. The hobby- at first irritating and exhausting- soon became an eye-opening shift into our shifting relationship from “mother and child” to “adults and family”.
It was the first time in 20 years that she found a passion outside of the “role of motherhood”
We talked. We vented. The hikes became mini therapy sessions where we explored the boundaries of our own personal growth- together.
Girl in the Woods was one of the many books that inspired my mom to reach her 100 mile goal- and I love it for the same reason.
The Pacific Crest Trail spans 2,650 miles, starting near the border of the United States and Mexico. At the age of 19, Aspen Mattis began the trek alone.
Dropping out of college, Mattis began her adventure. Girl in the Woods chronicles Mattis’s first time on her own and the dangerous journey ahead of her.
This suspenseful and emotional memoir is both a documentation of nature and the perfect coming of age story. Mattis addresses conflicts and suffering head on, never watering down her experiences to be palatable.
Who It’s For: Adventurous Spirits, Hiking Connoisseur, and those grappling with self discovery.
Fall in Love Again
If reading was once your passion, may you find it again.
These five books offer the perfect jumping off point, but it’s only the beginning. Whether you prefer historical dramas, or the newest fantasy novel, set aside the time for yourself. Write for yourself again. Start a gratitude journal. Lose yourself between the pages of a book.
Just be.
-Madeline Runyon
