20+ Must-Read Books for College
As the semester wraps up and the summer starts, it is time to start thinking about where you will be this fall. Maybe you have another semester of high school, or you’re starting your first semester of college, or you’re continuing your college career! Whichever one applies to you, college and adulting, and everything related, can be really daunting for any young adult.
Below is a list of books that can help any adult get prepared for college. Some are just good stories, others have strong life lessons for all age groups, and some you may have already read in high school! But ALL of them were recommended by current college students (some have testimonials below that you can read from the person who recommended them!!). See how many you can check off before the fall semester!
Animal Farm - George Orwell
Any Shakespeare - William Shakespeare
Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
Cinder - Marissa Meyer
Educated - Tara Westover
Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card
Eragon (series) - Christopher Paolini
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Firegirl - Tony Abbott
Frankenstein - Mary Shelly
The Giving Tree - Shell Silverstein
Inheritance Games (series) - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Lies We Tell Ourselves - Robin Talley
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
The Martian - Andy Weir
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Welcome to Adulting - Jonathan Pokluda with Kevin McConaghy
The Witcher - Andrzej Sapkowski
Wonder - R. J. Palacio
All of these are great books, and many can be found as audiobooks or digital books, or you can easily order them online or find them at your local bookstore!
This will be a good opportunity for you to unwind, turn off your phone or computer or TV and just relax with any of these books. Is your mom telling you to get off your phone? Pick up one of these!
I have always found reading more fun when you can talk about it with someone else. Find a friend and choose a book that you both haven’t read and see what the two (or more) of you gain from reading it! You could even start your own mini book club with your friend group from high school to stay connected as you all head off to different colleges.
Or, you can share this list with your friends and see who can check off all the books the fastest!
Testimonials
Fahrenheit 451: “Pretty easy to read and a really neat story!” - Allison
Inheritance Games: “Avery Kylie Grambs inherits money from a billionaire. But she’s a complete stranger…or is she?! This series takes you through riddles and games that you’ll be constantly trying to decipher while reading. But it’s not just all fun and games, there’s also a love triangle.” - Ashley
Welcome to Adulting: “This book is perfect for anyone graduating high school or college, especially for anyone in their 20s. It navigates you through all the things in adulthood. It explains and prepares you for the changes that will happen in friendships, relationships, lifestyle, how to manage your money, and how to walk through this next season of life from a Christian perspective.” - Ashley