Oddly specific book recommendations: College edition

Do you know what’s better than books about college? Books that are about very niche college experiences. As we re-enter the world of higher education, here are four books for any situation you could possibly encounter. Happy reading!

A book to remind you that the price of murdering your roommate over some dirty dishes is, in fact, prison

Look, it’s not college without a little roommate drama (not me though – mine are great). People are going to tick you off. But if you find your annoyance bleeding into homicidal tendencies, please read “Orange Is The New Black” by Piper Kerman. Before you even ask, no, it’s nothing like the show. However, this book is a witty and poignant memoir on a woman’s experience in prison, and I find myself thinking about it often. Maybe you should, too.

A book to raise your standards after some rando you met at a frat stomps on them

#NotAllFratBrothers … but many of them. If you need to be reminded that some men actually do live up to the incredibleness that is you, check out “Play Along” by Liz Tomforde. It’s spicy (don’t say I didn’t warn you), fast-paced and has a golden retriever male main character (or MMC) that makes you wonder if you shouldn’t just stay single forever, waiting for fictional characters to become real. While it’s technically the fourth book in a series of interconnected stand-alones, you can read this book out of order.

A book for when you need to cry, but also feel whimsical, but also need to deal with generational trauma

Sometimes the real college is the sad yet satisfying books with romance, LGBTQ+ sub-plots and theater kid lore you find along the way. I love books that talk about death, and “Shark Heart” by Emily Habeck touches on it in such a unique and powerful way. A stunning debut novel, “Shark Heart” follows a couple in which the husband learns he has a chronic condition that makes him slowly metamorphose into a great white shark. I think I’ll leave it at that.

A book to make you wonder if Miami University also has a dark, paranormal criminal underbelly that the faculty is hiding from you

What if you went to school and learned that the world is basically run by an unethical magical elite? “Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo follows a girl who goes to Yale — and ends up solving murders, keeping cults in check and generally leaving a trail of blood and magic in her wake. With commentary on privilege, women’s issues and intersectionality, this book is a delight for when the weather starts to turn. Please check content warnings before reading.

***

So there you have it. Four books for four wildly different college experiences. If you like what you read (or didn’t), tell me about it! My email is below.

greenpt@miamioh.edu