10 Top Books to Read During the Holidays
The holidays are a great time to read books.
After Christmas, college students and their parents have more time to read for enjoyment.
With that in mind, here is my list of books for college students and their parents to read before life becomes hectic again. My list of books for the holidays includes essays, nonfiction and novels, including my personal favorite book for 2010 -- Cutting for Stone.
Here is my list of best books for the holidays in no particular order:
1. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
A brilliantly written novel by a Stanford surgeon about a nun, a stoic physician and their twins born in Ethiopia during the reign of Haile Selaisse.
2. The Liar's Club: A Memoir, Mary Karr
A wickedly funny and savage book by a college professor about growing up in east Texas.
3. The Professor and the Madman, Simon Weschester
A fascinating look at the creation of the Oxford Dictionary and a madman in an insane asylum who helped with the massive undertaking.
4. The Night of the Gun, David Carr
Riveting memoir from the media columnist at The New York Times, who spent much of his youth stoned and drunk.
5. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris
This book of essays, and most of his other essay collections, make me laugh out.
6. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Laura Hillenbrand.
An unbelievable story written by the author of the bestselling Seabiscuit.
7. The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio, Terry Ryan
True story of how a mother of 10 children with an alcoholic father kept the family clothed and fed by winning contests for jingles and slogans.
8. Moneyball, Michael Lewis
Growing up in St. Louis, I've been a diehard (Cardinals) baseball fan all my life and this is my favorite baseball book.
9. Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People, Amy Sedaris
Amy Sedaris is almost as funny as his brother. You'll find crafts that are one-of-a-kind for a reason.
10. The Imperfectionists: A Novel, Tom Rachman
I hesitated to recommend this amazing first novel because it centers on characters who work for an English-language newspaper in Rome, but it's worth a read even for college students who avoid newspapers.
Lynn O'Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and she also writes for TheCollegeSolutionBlog.
10 top books image by Troy Holden. CC 2.0.