I’m not sure if it’s just me, but with all the assigned reading, it’s hard to find the time or energy to sit down and actually enjoy a good book.

This is why it is so important to have books that draw you into the story and keep you coming back to see what happens next. Here are some books you may want to try out this semester.

Fiction

Fairytale by Stephen King (600 pages)

Stephen King is most commonly known as the “King of Horror,” and rightfully so. However, his newest book, Fairytale, would not fall into that category. The story follows Charlie Reade's quest to save his friend's life by venturing into a mysterious, magical land hidden under his own. References to your favorite fairytale characters are distributed all throughout, making connections between the two worlds. There are curses, deadly tournaments, and evidence that dogs are a man’s best friend. The book is a little lengthy for new readers, but don't let that discourage you from trying it out!

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (Avg. 387 pages)

I don’t know if it’s just my roommate and me, but there has been a Hunger Games resurgence on Tiktok. Which I am not at all mad about. Unless you lived under a rock in the 2010s, you have heard about The Hunger Games, either as a book or movie series. If the infamous love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale is the first thing you thought about when you read that header, then you missed the point of the trilogy. Like, guys, children are literally being forced to kill each other.

While the romance is a cute subplot, the book's main themes are much more serious and still relevant today. Many of you probably read this series in middle school, but going back and reemerging yourself in it today will probably make you see it in a whole new light. If not, then at least you can relive a series you love again. And hey, if you don’t want to (re)read the series, you can always watch the movies. #TeamPeeta, by the way.

Romance

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (377 pages)

Love Hallmark movies where men leave their big city, work-oriented, and pessimistic girlfriends for the girl-next-door in a small town? Then this book is not for you. Or maybe it is if you’ve ever wondered what happened to said, big-city girlfriend. Book Lovers gives us a new perspective on the common Hallmark trope through the eyes of Nora Stephens, a cutthroat literary agent from New York who has lived that trope one too many times.

When her sister Libby— the only person who can make Nora take a vacation —brings her to a quaint small town, she finds herself constantly bumping into the brooding Charlie Lastra. Don’t get too excited, because they have met before, and it was far from a meet-cute. Not to worry though, there are a few cheesy tropes thrown out here and there that you can still enjoy. Plus, it’s enemies to lovers, and that’s like bread and butter to some of you book girlies.

Thriller

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (342 pages)

If you have ever wanted to know what happens to the final girl after she survives (like what? At least four follow-up murder attempts?), this is the book for you. With subtle references to famous thriller movies such as Halloween and Scream, this book will put you right into the world of the media's most infamous final girls after they have survived their close encounters with death. Lynnette Tarkington is the final girl that has not fully moved on. She is still haunted by that terrifying night when she almost died.

The other final girls in her therapy group are moving on and insist that they don’t need to meet anymore. But when one of the women goes missing, Lynnette is forced to leave the safety of her routine life in order to stay alive. Someone is hunting the women who survived. The question is, who will be the final girl of the Final Girls?

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (308 pages)

How much sympathy would you have for a set of parents whose baby gets kidnapped? I’ll bet a lot. How much would you have if you found out those parents left their child home alone while they went to their neighbors for a night out? Not so much now, huh?

Suspicion immediately falls onto the parents, Anne and Marco Conti, when their daughter, Cora, goes missing. While they initially try to maintain a united front, they soon realize that the other is keeping secrets. Why does Anne not remember what happened the last time she saw her daughter? What was Marco really doing when he checked on the baby during the dinner party? And most importantly, how far are they willing to go to fix their mistakes?

I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did! Head over to @auburncampusrec to let us know if you liked them and leave your book recommendations while you’re there!

Be Well, Auburn.