“The Secret History” by Donna Tartt (Audrey)

A bachannal, an insufferable liberal arts Greek troupe, and a murder. What more could you ask for? An outsider, the naive California, Richard Papen, reminisces upon the highs and lows of his liberal arts alma mater in New Hampshire. While in college, he meets a curious group of Greek mythos fanatics: a beautiful, yet cold academic, a snarky son of a psychotic heiress, two golden twins, and a boy named Bunny. Though trudging and bleak at times, the story’s pacing grows frenetic and feverish as Richard becomes privy to the secrets and seductions of the motley crew. As captivating as it is twisted, “The Secret History” follows their descent into madness and shows how fine the line between admiration and obsession truly is.

“Dear Evelyn” by Kathy Page (Eva)

I read “Dear Evelyn” in the early summer days of 2020. I’d read mostly airport books since quarantine began, and while this book could still be considered one, it stayed with me longer than the others. It follows a simple love story, between a working-class soldier, Harry, and a marriage-averse young woman, Evelyn. Despite her hesitation, they’re quickly married, he’s off to war, she’s pregnant, he’s back. In what feels like only a matter of pages, they’re at the end of their lifetimes, too tired to remember if they’re in love at all. It’s a sweet, sentimental story, and the author was inspired by wartime letters from her father! The perfect book for cold, winter days. 

“Orbiting Jupiter” by Gary D. Schmidt (Audrey)

How poignant! How bleak and simple! Gary D. Schmidt is the king of my heart. His stories unwind in small, picturesque towns; his characters comprising of unlikely friends, spitfires, and underdogs. This is my favorite novel of his so far. “Orbiting Jupiter” takes place in an undetermined eon: somewhere between the antiquated nuclear family and the modern dissatisfied youth. As the story winds through fall and winter, our inevitably lovable characters war with questions of justice, authority, and belonging. If you’re looking for something light and sunny, you’re looking in the wrong place. That being said, “Orbiting Jupiter” has its moments of bliss, along with those of yearning, fury, and hate. It’s probably the best piece of young adult fiction that I’ve ever come across and will come across in my lifetime. Seriously, read it. 

“Fathers and Sons” by Ivan Turgenev (Audrey)

Set in the Russian countryside, an eternal winter, a young scholar, Arkady, returns home from university with a new outlook on life. His mind is filled with ingenuity, medicine, philosophy, all new gifts from the big city. As he winds his way through issues of class, politics, and love, he must come to terms with the generational divide between his father and himself. Arkady: the modern man, the enfant terrible, and his father: a down to earth, scrupulous, country bumpkin by some accounts, must overcome their differences and their devastating egos. It’s a story I related a lot to (given my devastating ego) and I think it rings true to most modern families. Despite its age, “Fathers and Sons” is timeless, the perfect story to devour in one night by a fire or a friend.

“Educated” by Tara Westover (Eva)

“Educated” is one of those books where you can remember at least four chapters in vivid detail — just because they are like nothing else you’ve ever read, seen, or heard of. It’s written by a young woman, Tara Westover, who grew up in rural Idaho with a Mormon survivalist father who refused formal education for his children. She was the youngest of seven children, many of whom weren’t registered for birth certificates and all of whom did not visit doctors in their adolescence. Westover explores her youth, the abuse she faced from an older brother, her path to an education, and her eventual estrangement from the only people she ever knew. It’s a book that forces you to consider the intersectionality of religion, government, and education, but doesn’t lecture you. It solely presents a story so wild you constantly wonder — can this even be true? It’s incredibly well-written and fast-paced, a twisted real-life piece I’d recommend to anyone.