I know that there are some people out there who hate reading and whose enjoyment of books extends only to the Hunger Games and its various rip-offs. But there are so many good books out there that need to be read. The following titles are great ways to kick start a new romance with reading. They are accessible and hard to put down.
Ender’s Game: My all-time favorite book, Ender’s Game tells the story of a young genius tasked with defeating an alien race known as the Formics. It is most famous for its action-packed battle sequences, but it is also a very cerebral novel, bringing up questions of morality and genocide. A must-read.
Red Rising: I’ve never been really big on the whole YA novel genre, but Red Rising is one of the more entertaining books I’ve ever read. It shares themes with both Ender’s Game and The Hunger Games, and although I’m no fan of the latter, I thoroughly enjoyed Red Rising, which mixes ancient Roman culture with interplanetary science fiction.
The Martian: Another book about Mars that came out early last year, The Martian is nonetheless a different beast than the aforementioned Red Rising. The story of a charismatic astronaut stranded on Mars, it’s chock-full of science-y talk; but even if you don’t know the first thing about solid-fuel rocket engines or what an apoapsis is, The Martian is a rollicking good read. It makes you feel smart without requiring a degree in rocket science.
The Wednesday Wars: The Wednesday Wars is a slow-paced novel about an average kid in middle school. It is also a beautifully written novel about the repercussions of the Vietnam War on American Suburbia. It’s a bit of a departure from this science-fiction dominated list, but don’t let that deter you. Please read it. You’ll thank me later.
Wonder: I think this book was really big about two years ago, but in case you haven’t read it, Wonder is about a kid who has a facial deformity and his experiences in school. Despite this seemingly grim concept, it’s an incredibly uplifting book, and it can be pretty funny as well.
Even if you’ve lived a life devoid of reading pleasure up until now, I hope you will try out at least one of these books, because I promise you’ll enjoy it.
