Flipping through students' favorites

Audrey Burnley

Leisure time is done in many different ways for students. Some go home and play video games while others sit down and read a book. But why would they read more after reading for their English classes in school?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The topic and style of writing plays a huge role in choosing a favorite book. For Samira Singh, those two things helped her choose The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. "I really love Greek Mythology, the book is so devastating to me. I have never been as sad over a book as I have to this one," Singh said. To Singh, the poetic and detailed writing also contributed to her choice. "I feel like no other authors writing style has compared to this one," Singh said. Outside of school, Singh was able to enjoy this book for her own reasons. "It is just so nice to me when there's no obligations. It's nice when you pick up something that looks interesting to you. I feel like its so rewarding," Singh said.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The setting in which a story takes place, takes the reader on a journey. For Julia Erskine, her favorite book, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugh, sucked her into the magical world of a 17th century city inspired by Amsterdam. "I feel like the setting is very well done in the book, as well as the characters. I just fall in love with them every time I read it, and it's like nothing I have ever seen in a book. I love the way the plot is laid out, especially how the setting seems so realistic, even though it's a fantasy novel," Erksine said. The freedom of being able to choose whatever she wants to read makes the process much more interesting. "I'm basically going off of my interests and what I like to read and what I'd like to do, and it's just so much more interesting," Erksine said.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Personal ties to a book is what drew Michael Dell'Aquila to The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. "I really liked the "Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan because my mom really loved the book and when I get to read it, since its based in San Francisco, I learned a lot about where I am from," Dell'Aquila said. His personal interests also expand his reading outside of school. "I think inside of school, books can be really good and I definitely enjoyed a lot of books in high school, but outside of school I get to expand and do things like read about things I want to read about," Dell'Aquila said. l