My Favourite Recent Reads

As we settle into another winter season, I, and many others, have found joy in the comfort of a good book and a cup of tea or coffee. Although my reading habits aren’t as strong as before I started DP (a program which has stolen all my free time), I still have a few solid recommendations for all readers this season. As a disclaimer, I tend to read a lot of contemporary fiction, essay collections, social commentaries, and poetry, so my list will reflect this! In no particular order, here are my fall and winter book recommendations…

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

This book took me two weeks to finish, which usually would be a negative comment, except that I intentionally savoured it and forced myself to read only a few chapters each day. The main characters, Frances, Bobbi, Melissa, and Nick, are masterfully written, complex, and really well-developed figures. As with other Sally Rooney novels, Conversations with Friends’ plot is difficult to explain, so I’ll let you do your research. I loved how unabashedly Rooney delves into the everyday complexities of relationships in this book and her others (like Normal People and Intermezzo). Despite how much I love it, this book is definitely written more for the upper grades (11-12) and adults.

Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel

This collection of short stories is a masterful work that portrays Hempel’s minimalistic yet nuanced style. She is known as a master of “rich spareness” in writing, which really comes across in this collection. This book, in particular, centers around people losing their safety nets to various events (i.e. fires, death, loss of friends, children). Her writing is restrained yet brimming with complexity and meaning. It almost feels like each story in the collection is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Though her writing can be hard to get into, the collection is worth your time. The stories are such a deep reflection of humans and how we are all intricately woven together. Because of the topics dealt with in the book and Hempel’s writing style, I would say this caters more to upper grades (11-12) and adults.

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

In this essay collection, author Rebecca Solnit puts into words the immense frustration, anger, and complex emotions I feel as a woman witnessing the worldwide erosion of women’s rights. After picking this up, I quickly read each of her essays and began to understand the feeling that I, beforehand, could not identify. She tackles the universal attempts to silence women, whether through the denial of experience, erasure in the workplace, or even physically banning their voices like in Afghanistan. Her essays discuss the alarming contemporary face of violence against women and examine Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own.” I would recommend this book to high schoolers and adults, especially given the paper’s primarily female audience. 

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

In this book, we follow the storylines of three characters whose lives are interwoven by a letter, a mother’s love, and the underground network of doctors fighting against infringements on a woman’s right to choose. In this book, we follow Angela, Dr. Evelyn Taylor, and Nancy whose stories intertwine as the plot progresses. Set in Toronto, this book is based on a true story about reproductive rights, the complexities of motherhood, and resistance against injustice. This historical fiction was an enjoyable read that touched me deeply because of its incredible relevance, given the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade and the worldwide growth of misogyny. This book is quite accessible and can be read by almost any of our readers; I would highly recommend it.

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

This book is a great read or listen (there is a free audiobook version on Spotify) for anyone interested in psychology, anthropology, ethics, law, or society in general. In this book, Gladwell deep-dives into the mistruths and misconceptions about communication and relationships. He uses various case studies from how Fidel Castro’s spies infiltrated the CIA for decades and why campus sexual assaults are on the rise to demonstrate that by continuing to use imperfect tools and strategies to try to understand strangers, we open the door to unnecessary conflict. The audiobook was incredible because Gladwell included recordings of the people he interviewed, re-enactments of court hearings, and police tapes, which genuinely brought his arguments to life. More than a reflection on society, this book uses a range of examples, like the life of Sylvia Plath, Bernie Madoff, and Amanda Knox, providing a fascinating insight into how our society and people work.