Personally, I’m not someone who has Christmas/winter holiday traditions to uphold every year. I do not put energy into decorating my home with festive ornaments and garlands. There is no media I repeatedly consume, like A Charlie Brown Christmas or the various written and on-screen adaptations of Charles Dickens’ classic story, A Christmas Carol. I also haven’t been playing holiday music on a loop ever since Thanksgiving ended. This time of year is not one I feel particularly connected to.
During my winter break, I usually spend the two to three weeks I have off from school relaxing and recuperating from the stress I experienced over the course of the semester. I try to focus on myself and my hobbies. For this year’s break, I decided to spend my free time finally reading three of the most anticipated books that I own. Maybe after learning a bit about each of them, you might want to pick them up for yourself.
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This historical fiction novel, set one night in August 1983, follows four siblings belonging to the fictional famous Riva family who throw a wild party at their Malibu mansion. With every passing hour, tension continues to rise as secrets and betrayal are revealed. By the morning, the Riva mansion will be in flames, with everything around it destroyed. I’m excited to see the events that will eventually lead to this massive and dramatic end.
- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
This romance book is the first in a trilogy. The other two novels in this series are concerned with the love lives of the main character’s two sisters, which are interconnected with one another. This first work is about Chloe Brown, a computer geek who has devised a plan to create a more exciting life for herself after a near-death experience. She eventually asks her love interest, a handyman named Red, to help her with her mission. As they work on completing her goal, sparks between them begin to fly. I can’t wait for this fluffy and fun read.
- Trick Mirror: Reflections of Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino
This next selection differs from the rest as it contains a collection of essays about topics surrounding internet culture and their impact on people on both an individual and societal level. Some of the concepts discussed in the text include reality tv, scams, and feminism. I am interested in the effects of social media on civilization and am looking forward to reading this book.