In light of New Year’s Resolutions, it’s likely that plenty of people aim to read a lot more than they do now. If your resolutions center around leading a healthier, well-rounded lifestyle, reading is a great pastime activity to replace mindlessly scrolling through your feed. Not only will you gain more knowledge through the books you read, you will also enjoy stepping into an alternate reality authors create.
However, for first-time or returning readers, finding good books to hook one’s attention can be difficult—a time-consuming task. Many don’t really know where to start and how to continue their reading journey. That’s why it’s important to find novels, short story collections and poem collections that fit an individual’s interests.
Well, you’re in luck! If you’re still searching for interesting books to read in the new year, search no longer. This article will introduce five different books that cover a variety of themes, genres and plot lines. So, if you have a relatively niche set of interests for the content you read, follow along to uncover five new books that might fit what keeps you captivated in a story.
The first and most recently published novel is “James” by Percival Everett. This story follows the life and events of the original story “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, but through the perspective of a runaway slave. Jim (otherwise known as James) escapes the confines of his enslavers by becoming entangled in Finn’s adventures. Soon, he realizes the true dangers of being an African American in the South. As “a man undertaking a deadly quest for freedom, managing the needs of a pubescent boy amounts to nothing so much as an inconvenience.” Moreover, having left his wife and child under their master’s control, Jim is overwhelmed with constant anxieties and philosophical questions about the state of his being a slave.
If historical fiction is under your radar, give Everett’s book a chance. In November, Barnes and Noble announced “James” as their Book of the Year and also instantly became a New York Times Bestseller. You might want to hop on the trend and discover your new favorite author, inspiring you to explore more of his work.
Another book, packed with symbolism and religious imagery, is Vandana Khanna’s “Burning Like Her Own Planet.” This collection of poems, centered around the Hindu goddesses Sita and Parvati, explores the realms of feminine power through their perspectives and experiences. Khanna’s experimentation with vibrant colors, overwhelming emotions and stark symbolism is what brings her poems together into a powerful metaphor for “love, betrayal, and faith.”
“Burning Like Her Own Planet” was first published in 2023 and during the spring of 2024, Khanna visited San Diego State University for a Living Writers event. She shared a few poems from the collection, providing her journey as a spontaneous writer. If you’re looking for a quick yet motivational read, this book will be perfect for you!
Multi-award-winning novel, “Normal People” by Sally Rooney, was such a success a TV adaptation became available on several streaming platforms. This story dives into the lives of two young adults, Marianne and Connell, who fall in and out of love with one another over the course of several years. “Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose” into her concept of a love story about more than just love: social structures and norms, familial relations and taboos.
This book is perfect for Young Adult Fiction lovers. Add this to your list of Coming of Age stories and Romantic Comedy. While this novel covers societal and personal issues encountered by the protagonists, Rooney incorporates a sense of awkward humor between characters. This element of realistic comedy entices readers to relate to the absurd situations that the story introduces. Read this book if you want to feel uncomfortable and simultaneously amused by the uncertain and taboo topics Rooney presents.
Going international, Samantha Schweblin’s “Fever Dream,” is a disoriented depiction of environmental horror in rural areas. The story follows a mother and her daughter who are vacationing in Argentina and are exposed to the horrifically permanent side effects of pesticides. Their encounters with the toxic pesticides lead to catastrophic events, testing the strengths of motherly love.
This is yet another extremely quick story, consisting of just under two hundred pages, also adapted into a film. Since this story has been translated into English from Spanish, the original title “Distancia de Rescate” encapsulates the true premise of motherhood within an endangered environment. This novella will give you a greater perspective on the daily anxieties and experiences of mothers.
The final book on this list, “Into Thin Air,” is an autobiographical account from American mountaineer, Jon Krakauer, who climbed Mount Everest in May 1996. A year later, “Into Thin Air” was published, recounting his experiences during the weeks-long expedition. He recognizes the perils along the way such as sleep exhaustion, oxygen depletion, intense hallucinations, hypoxia, and frostbite.
If you’re an adventurous and outdoorsy hiker interested in learning more about the extremities people face on the climb up the tallest mountain in the world, invest some time into this nonfiction account. Even with the fantastical view from 29,029 feet above sea level, the Himalayan Mountains are nothing to tread lightly. However, without having to actually face the consequences of this trek, you can experience such a treacherous test on mankind through Krakauer’s narrative.
With the new spurt of freedom during winter vacation, take the time to put together a list of your 2025 future reads. “James,” “Burning Like Her Own Planet,” “Normal People,” “Fever Dream” and “Into Thin Air” are five potentially new subjects you can explore in the New Year. This is the first step to fulfilling your New Year’s Resolutions goal of reading more.