By Mansha Sharma
Now that we’ve settled into a new semester, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) campus is bustling with students cramming in coursework, running late to class and making quick stops to grab a delicious pumpkin-flavoured drink. Sadly, the excitement over the start of a new school year has died down and now we’re all left feeling a bit overwhelmed and trying our best to keep up with incessant deadlines.
As important as it is to stay on top of school work and deadlines before the rush sets in, taking a break is just as important. So in the few moments of peace between classes or while taking a break from the mountain of readings on their desks, some students have decided to take up reading as a fall activity. From self-help to murder mystery, here are five books TMU students recommend you read this autumn.
How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera—Recommended by Marilyn Saad, fourth-year child and youth-care student
How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by Dr. Nicole LePera is a self-help book based on holistic psychology. The book focuses on the understanding of oneself as a culmination of events, experiences and traumas to aid the healing journey.
Autumn marks the beginning of a new school year—and a new year means a whole new you. With this recommendation, you can make healing a top priority, even while focused on your academics. The book can help you decompress from the busyness of school and refocus on yourself. This novel, paired with a mug of hot chocolate, is the perfect way to begin rebranding as the new healthier version of you!
1984 by George Orwell—Recommended by Jennifer Smeh, second-year biology student
1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian book that focuses on a man who starts a rebellion against his totalitarian society. It focuses on the protagonist, Winston Smith, a member of the political party in power as he pursues love and escapes from a controlling society. In an age of constant surveillance, he attempts to join an opposing secretive group working to overthrow the government. This novel produced the iconic quote “Big Brother is watching you” and remains relevant nearly 75 years after it was first published.
Thanksgiving for many is a time of large family reunions and “polite” discussions around politics and current events. The dread of having these conversations can have us preparing for any inevitable arguments that can ensue. 1984 can offer a quick introduction into topics like political systems and mass surveillance so you can easily follow along with those heated discussions.
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie—Recommended by Maggie Nguyen, first-year psychology student
Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie is a novel following detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of a young girl who dies shortly after claiming to have witnessed a murder. The book follows Poirot as he attempts to unveil the true circumstances behind the girl’s murder at a children’s Halloween party. This “whodunit” is part of the Hercule Poirot series but can be enjoyed independently from the other books in the collection.
As murder-mystery parties and true crime documentaries gain popularity, this novel will get you in the right mood to solve creepy and complicated problems. Plus, a movie adaptation by the name of A Haunting in Venice was released in theatres this year on Sept. 15. What’s better to get you ready for the upcoming spooky season than reading an enthralling murder-mystery you can now see on the big screen?
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde—Recommended by Diva Kaushik, first-year psychology student
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a satirical comedic play. The play features two friends, Jack Worthing and Algernon Mincrieff who both invent new identities for themselves, “Earnest’’ and “Bunbury” without the other knowing. The protagonists use their respective facades as an excuse to skip out on parties and leave town. Algernon suspects that “Earnest’’ is a fake, which is ironic, because he is also using another identity for the same purposes. The play follows the two friends as they attempt to get married to people who know them each under false pretenses.
The best part of this seasonal is the enjoyment of choosing a brand new costume or identity to dress up as for Halloween. What relates to this more than a play focused entirely on tricking society with a false persona to get out of your responsibilities?
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton—Recommended by Emen Trussart second-year, media production student
Many students don’t know that the iconic Jurassic Park movies started out as a novel. Jurassic Park by Micheal Crichton is a science-fiction novel following an attempt to open a theme park of genetically recreated dinosaurs. The book follows the ramifications of recreating dinosaurs from extinction and keeping them in a theme park. The book’s characters must fight to survive when the dinosaurs break free from their enclosures and hunt the park’s visitors.
This book is perfect to read in the fall wrapped in a cozy blanket. After finishing the novel, the comfortable vibes can continue into a marathon of the original trilogy of the work with copious amounts of candy corn and apple pie.
Leave a Reply