5 Books to Read to Jump Start Your New Year’s Reading Habit

…Part of my weekly series Sunshine with A Slant: Inspiration and Introspection…

The air was thick with a sense of anticipation. After first recess, armed with twenty dollars in my pocket, my class would take its turn visiting the Scholastic Book Fair. There were posters of Lamborghinis, a pen that could write in eight different colors, giant fuzzy easers but the real prize was the books. Rows and rows of shiny new books just waiting to be bought. Even as an adult, few things have been so exhilarating.

The Pew Research Center says the average American reads about 12 books a year. Personally, I think one of the reasons for this number is the lack of adult Scholastic Book Fairs but I cannot scientifically prove this. Also Netflix. We all know the reasons reading is good for you but sometimes it is a struggle to start. Here are five enjoyable books I recently read that will help you jump start your new year’s reading routine.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

“Granny said the real trick of life was almost no one is entirely a shit and almost no one is entirely not a shit. The hard part of life is keeping as much on the not a shit side as one can.”

This heartwarming tale tells the story of a special relationship between Elsa and her Grandmother. Elsa’s Grandmother has been telling Elsa stories about the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas to help her navigate a world that is not always kind to people who are different. When her Grandmother passes away, she leaves a series of letters to be delivered by Elsa. Elsa’s great adventure as a Knight of Miamas begins.

The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France by John Baxter

Australian ex-pat John Baxter takes us around France, his new beloved home country, in search of forgotten historical dishes. His mission is to create a fictional dinner banquet of old using truly French dishes. Along the way, the reader gets history lessons, a wonderful travel experience, and a hunger to try the dishes and drinks for themselves.

The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman

On the surface, this novel tells the story of Hmong refugee Lia Lee, her family and the American doctors who tried to treat Lia. Lia Lee suffered from a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gustaut Syndrome. A series of cultural barriers on both sides prevented Lia from getting optimal care. Under author Anne Fadiman’s gentle care, this book does so much more. It tells the history of the Hmong culture, Hmong beliefs, the history of the United States’ involvement in the Secret War in Laos, and looks at how medical professionals are trained and supported. This book both taught me and made me examine how I deal with others.

Carrie by Stephen King

Every October I like to read a Stephen King novel. He is the master of grounded and truthful suspense and scary. I picked up Carrie last October and then thought I lost it. Turns out a family member who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty thought it also looked like a good read. Flash forward to January, the book emerges and I finish it. Carrie tells the story of Carrie White’s fateful prom night and aftermath. It is the first novel that was published by Stephen King.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane By Lisa See

Tea is that beverage that can both soothe and give you a jolt of awareness in the morning without the jitters. Lisa See’s novel tells the story of Li-yan, a young Akha girl, who’s life is centered around tradition and her family’s tea farms. As she makes her way into adulthood can she maintain tradition and forge her own path? Much like Fadiman’s non-fiction novel, See’s historical fiction novel educates about the ethnic minority Akha in China and makes you think about historic moments such as China’s One Child Policy.

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