As the new year kicks off in full swing, the promise of our resolutions still hangs in the air, ready to be achieved. A common resolution is to read more for pleasure. If you are one of these people wanting to get back into the habit of cozying up in bed with a book and a cup of coffee, then this is the list for you. Here are a few books you probably haven’t read — but should — in your spare time this year.
“The Light Between Oceans: A Novel” by M. L. Stedman
“The Light Between Oceans” is a tear-jerking novel that takes us to a lighthouse on a remote island in Australia, where married couple Isabel and Tom live and maintain the area. Two miscarriages and a still birth later, Isabel sinks into a deep depression and loses all hope of having a child — until a boat washes up on shore with an infant and a dead man. Isabel wishes to keep the child and raise it as her own, which collides with Tom’s desire to satisfy his wife while still upholding the moral principles he struggled with as a soldier in World War I. This results in a tough decision that tears apart families, lovers and friends. Stedman’s writing is simplistic and poetic, fully immersing you into the secluded and enchanting world of coastal Australia. For a change, there is no one clear protagonist in the story. All of the characters have faults and compelling, heart-wrenching perspectives, making them much more relatable and realistic. The book has been adapted into a film which will be released in the United States later this year, so make sure to pick up a copy and lose yourself in post-World War I Australia before the movie makes it to screens in America.
“11/22/63: A Novel” by Stephen King
All readers interested in science, history or mystery will be immediately drawn in by Jake Epping’s race against time and the forces of the past to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from assassinating John F. Kennedy on the fateful day of Nov. 22, 1963. Upon request by Jake’s friend Al, Jake enters the pantry in Al’s diner. What he finds are not shelves of food, but rather a time portal that takes him to the year 1958. And thus begins Jake Epping’s journey from Maine to Texas, from 2007 to 1958 and from 1958 to 1963 to stop the assassination of president JFK. Despite the book’s branding under the scientific and historical fiction genre, I was impressed by Stephen King’s ability to bring romance to the novel and to tell a love story better than any Nicholas Sparks book I have read. Stephen King has collaborated with J.J. Abrams to produce a nine-episode miniseries of the book which will be released exclusively on Hulu on President’s Day, Feb. 15, 2016.James Franco stars as Jake Epping in the series, further proving that “11/22/63” will be worth reading and then watching.
“Room” by Emma Donoghue
"Room" is an unusual novel told from a 5-year-old’s point of view. However, Jack is not living your average 5-year-old life, filled with playgrounds and laughter — all Jack has is Room and Ma. Before Jack existed, his mother was abducted on the college campus she attended and brought to a small, one room shack in the backyard of her captor, “Old Nick.” Old Nick repeatedly raped Ma, and Jack was the result. After several failed attempts to escape, Ma is weary of trying again, especially now that she has her son to lose. In addition, all Jack knows is Room and the objects that inhabit it — he does not understand the outside world in the least. “Room” is a work of fiction, but it was inspired by real events that happened in Austria in 2008. The New York Times named this compelling page-turner as one of the best six fiction titles in 2010. The novel was also adapted into an award-winning independent film that was released in 2015. However, to be fully immersed in Jack’s life, crack open the book and read what Jack has to say.
“And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie
“And Then There Were None” is a classic mystery about 10 strangers brought to a secluded island who are slowly killed off one by one. As they are killed by an unknown murderer, the past transgressions of these strangers are revealed to the rest of the group. Although characters are quickly dying off, the culprit does not become clearer as time goes on. The mystery gets more intense as the strangers are pitted against each other to figure out which one of them is the culprit, or if there is another inhabitant on the island that they have yet to see. Although this book is by no means new — it was first published in 1939 — it is a timeless, quick read and a great book to spark your obsession with Agatha Christie, who wrote over 60 mystery novels in her time.