Ask anyone and they’ll tag college days as the best days of their lives without blinking even once; everything about college is dreamy, from friends to hangouts and even classes. During this phase, let books be your trusted companions because they are not only great sources of knowledge and entertainment, but they also expand your horizon by engendering better creativity, good vocabulary, and imaginative thinking.
When you’re in college, you’re getting ready to face the real world. Move over from the books you read in school and create space for the books you must read that help you prepare for life ahead.
Here are books you must read that can actually make a difference:
1) This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This book is a perfect example that states that age doesn’t define the limit of imagination. This cult classic was written by Fitzgerald when he was only 23 years old. Chronicling the life of Amory Blaine, the book captures the romance, struggles, and realizations of his life brilliantly. Once you’ve finished reading the book, you know that you don’t want to be that wealthy Princeton student, who had to look at himself differently because of the situations arising from his choices. His post-graduation disillusions are captured interestingly. The book grips you further when the protagonist finally realizes the hard way that life is different outside the secure walls of college.
2) Don’t Say Yes When You Want to Say No: Making Life Right When It Feels All Wrong by Herbert Fensterheim Ph.D., Jean Baer
An ideal read for every phase of life, this amazing book you must read teaches the importance of using the simplest, yet the hardest word: No. This must-read teaches you to “say what you mean and mean what you say.” By the end of the book, the author literally trains you to develop self-control that often gets overpowered in a dominating atmosphere. Sound familiar? The book promises to help you develop the ability to grab the best from life. Get your copy for a compelling read!
3) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Most describe the author’s creativity in writing this book as mysterious and prismatic. Though the book can be categorized as dark, it has people drooling over and hailing it as a poignant study of memory, morality, and mortality. Although the author has woven the book around love, it’s not just a love story. Set in early 1960s Japan, the book elicits a universal emotion and those who identify with it, never want to put it down. The book is also adapted into a motion picture.
4) The Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Filled with insights, the book changes the way you perceive challenges and define your ambitions, and makes you more dedicated towards your goals. The book is known to profoundly change or fortify the way one looks at life and happiness. It allows readers to achieve a consecrated state of ‘flow’ under any situation.
The book is known to have broadened the perspective of life for many and helped others in realizing a clear vision of their goals and ways to achieve them. In the words of renowned Psychologist Howard Earl Gardner, “the book documents a set of scientific discoveries about human nature that actually illuminates the life experiences of all persons.”
5) Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
“”We are all born with a divine fire in us. Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire.””
The book inspires you effortlessly. You don’t necessarily have to be an Indian to identify with the story of an extremely poor Muslim boy growing up to be the President of India, the largest democracy in the world. The story of a man, who continues to be an inspiration even posthumously, the autobiography is not preachy, yet caters to the subjects we know of, but don’t give much thought to. The book has the power to change the way you look at life and maintain the sanctity of your inner self.
6) The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama
It doesn’t matter whether you’re religious or identify with the philosophy of the Dalai Lama; this book brings you peace and calms you. It teaches you to value the little things in life and care about what really matters. This book is insightful but has nothing that’ll scare you away. The beauty of the book lies in its ability to make readers think of ‘happiness’ as a state of mind rather than a result of external events.
7) The Stranger by Albert Camus
Exploring the numerous possibilities of life, you must read this laudable book at least once in your lifetime. It is philosophical, yet different from the common rational reads. The short plot of this exemplary book leaves a lot to your imagination and much to be desired. It is a novel everyone should read as it leaves a mark on your consciousness.
When you’re in college, everything about life appears to be a bed of roses. But, what lies ahead depends greatly on the choices you make. These books help you stay rooted as they have a practical approach. As life continues to be a roller coaster, these books provide a much-needed breather and allow you to soak in some really good lessons.
You might also enjoy: 10 Best Books of 2016
Author Bio
Korie Cantor is a writer who writes about living and lifestyle. She possesses a great sense of style and loves to share her thoughts about fashion and its latest trends. Follow her on twitter at @koriecantor
