Each Spring Break, I make a concerted effort to do all of that pleasure reading I couldn’t do during the semester. With a heap of English assignments, I find myself putting aside more contemporary works for my Classics-centered homework. (Fair enough.) So, taking a break from Anna Karenina and Robert Frost’s collected works, I’ve culled the books I’ll be packing this Spring Break.

Hottest New Book

Get it while it’s hot! The Nix is sure to be this Spring’s Hottest New Book. Nathan Hill’s debut is a masterful tragicomedy that centers on a strained mother-son relationship. It poses the question: When you’re a struggling writer, do you sell your mother out for a book deal? A dilemma we all face…

Book to Television

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is getting a visual revamp. In a new television show starring Mad Men-alum Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale is a necessary dystopian novel for our time. This story is for my fellow, fighting feminists, as it explores the subjugation of women in a near-future New England.

Children’s Classic

I’ve always wanted to explore a world where Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which roam free. A Wrinkle in Time, the first of Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet, does just that! If you love children’s books, and you want a refresher, read A Wrinkle in Time this Spring Break. Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey just wrapped their film version of the book!

Vignette City

Chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool.

I’m currently taking a Creative Writing course that focuses on the personal narrative. Me Talk Pretty One Day, a series of vignettes by David Sedaris, is an inspiring jumping off point for any aspiring writers. Funny, poignant and nostalgic, Me Talk Pretty One Day gives the reader tremendous insight into the author’s family, background and culture.

Stay Informed, People!

If you haven’t read J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, I demand that you do so immediately. Vance’s memoir is the antidote to this year’s election cycle. It makes sense of the more conservative beliefs held by poor, white Americans, and expresses the circumstances of both a ‘family and a culture in crisis.’