Reading Recommendations for Christmas Break & Spring Semester

By Catherine Salgado on January 15, 2020

Christmas break is the time of year when it often seems easiest to slack off–particularly from leisure reading.  Because of the holiday rush, and because you have just finished finals, it is so easy to come up with excuses as to why you should be doing little else than lounging around.  I have caught myself not studying my foreign languages or finishing a book because I’m so tired after last semester, or because Christmas was so busy, or because there’s still a week left of break…

In throwing off this lethargy I have found it helpful to make a list for myself of the books I will read over break.  Not only does that provide a definite goal or game plan, but crossing something off a list is very satisfying and brings a sense of accomplishment.  Here are some leisure reading suggestions for the rest of Christmas break and next semester!

The Innocence of Fr. Brown by GK Chesterton.  A short, dumpy Roman Catholic priest who seems ridiculously naïve and incapable of keeping track of his umbrella and various parcels, Fr. Brown hardly seems a good candidate for a detective mastermind.  In this book, however, which is the first in a series of five by the prolific and brilliant Chesterton,  Fr. Brown defies all expectations to unravel the most extraordinary and baffling mysteries.

Whether he is stopping an internationally acclaimed thief from stealing a valuable jeweled cross, exposing the murderous intent of a fraudulent pagan “priest,” or solving the mystery of the out-of-character behavior of two famous generals, Fr. Brown manages both to startle and satisfy the reader every time.  For anyone who enjoys mystery stories, this is a must.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass.  I would argue that this book is essential for a proper understanding of American history.  Frederick Douglass, a man who was born and raised a slave, later became a famous writer and speaker whose friendship was eagerly sought by the greatest men of his time, including Abraham Lincoln.  In this autobiography, written before the Civil War ended race-based slavery once for all in America, Douglass presents a moving portrait of the life of a slave who was a born fighter.  Whether he was secretly teaching himself to read, punching a slave owner who was viciously and unfairly attacking him, or racing to freedom in disguise, Douglass gave an example of a truly heroic thirst for freedom.  Yet, his charity and sense of justice are equally exemplary.

Though he was abused in America, and sometimes by Christians, Douglass has the greatness to recognize that slavery was opposed to America’s own philosophy as well as to Christianity.  Douglass speaks with intense affection of white men he made friends with as a youth and speaks of how only his faith in God continued to give him hope that he would achieve freedom.  He also, even as he decries the horror of slavery, recognizes that a slavery-free America can offer freed slave more opportunities than anywhere else to become educated, successful citizens.  Douglass loves the abolitionists as much as he despises the slave owners.  This passionate yet balanced picture of the South before the Civil War is more valuable than volumes of history textbooks.

Lady Susan by Jane Austen. Those of you who are already Jane Austen fans may or may not have heard of this one (possibly from the movie adaption entitled Love and Friendship). Lady Susan is a very short epistolary novel (that is, it is a novel consisting of a series of letters between the main characters). It is rather unique among Austen’s works in a number of ways—besides the epistolary style, the main character is also the villainess (Lady Susan herself) and one of the most wicked of Austen’s villains.

Lady Susan is a sort of evil genius, a middle-aged widow whose good looks, intelligence, and charm captivate everyone around her—until she meets her sister-in-law, Catherine Vernon. This book is also unique in that the women are the ones who almost entirely advance the plot. When Lady Susan decides to entrammel her sister-in-law’s younger brother Reginald into marriage, battle is fairly joined, and the rest of the novel is a struggle between Catherine and Susan. This novel has complex characters, a clever plot, and an interesting critique of Austen’s own society.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The Christmas season isn’t over yet! Almost everybody has watched a movie version or seen a production based on Dickens’ timeless Christmas classic, but not nearly as many people actually have read the book. Books, of course, being the original story, are generally better in getting across the original message than movie adaptions. This book permanently changed the way we celebrate Christmas, so indulge in a little late holiday spirit!

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis.  This book is the first in Lewis’ Space Trilogy and is an interesting mixture of theology, philosophy, science fiction, and fantasy.  When philologist Dr. Ransom (based heavily on Lewis’ real-life friend J.R.R. Tolkien) is kidnapped by two old colleagues, the physicists Weston and Devine, and taken in their space ship to the strange planet Malacandra, he truly finds himself in a whole new world.  What is strangest about this planet, however, is not merely its odd-looking inhabitants, its landscape, or even its very different cultures, but something else…something Ransom has to discover and understand before he can return home to Earth.  This book has a clever plot with numerous surprising twists and a few important lessons for the reader along the way.  I highly recommend it!

Pictorial Life of George Washington by John Frost.  The Father of Our Country has been sadly neglected in these days.  I suppose it makes sense that, as people begin to loathe their own history and country, they should equally loathe the man who started both.  Washington, one of the most famous and admired men of his day, was remarkable for many reasons.  He was a brilliant general who defeated the greatest army in the world at the time (Britain’s), he was an excellent and loving husband and adoptive father and grandfather, and he was a visionary leader who warned us against many of the mistakes Americans later made (slavery and hatred between political parties, anyone?).

Not only that, he was an idealist who came to believe so firmly in America’s philosophy of liberty and equality for all that he freed his slaves at the end of his life, he was a devout Christian whose piety inspired others who were more lax, he was a man of exemplary virtue, and he was so lacking in personal greed and ambition that even his enemy King George III was moved to pay tribute to his greatness.  This particular biography is rather long, so it may take some months to read through, but even reading just a few parts of it is beneficial.  America’s history is your history, and there is no person to be more proud of in it than our first President!

Beowulf by Anonymous.  This Old English poem is the great epic of the English language (only Milton’s Paradise Lost can attempt to compare with it).  Full of grisly and harrowing battles, mighty heroes, horrible monsters, venerable kings, brave warriors, and mysterious landscapes, Beowulf is a gripping narrative from start to finish.  You may be surprised by just how enjoyable an Old English poem about warriors and monsters can be–I thought I was going to hate it but ended up falling in love with it instead.

Hopefully, at least one of these books sounds attractive to you and gives you an inspiration about your next read.  I sincerely hope you end up enjoying these books as much as I do!

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