Earlier this week was Stay Up All Night Night! In celebration, we wanted to share the books that we couldn’t put down. Whether it was a single book or a series, these are the titles that we became completely immersed in, putting everything else on the backburner including sleep, food, and even our exams. Beware: If you decide to read these titles you might be tired!
Gianna: I was captivated by the The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I remember this distinctly because I was probably the only person on the planet who managed to elude The Hunger Games frenzy. It was my junior year of college during finals week when I decided to purchase all three books. BIG MISTAKE. In retrospect, it is a wonder that I even did well on my finals. Anyway, for four whole days The Hunger Games was my life. I didn’t sleep the first day (because well who needs sleep when you don’t know what happens to Katniss Everdeen). I loved every second of it though because it was the first time since Harry Potter that a series excited me so much.
Anushka: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: I had to read it for a class, but my week was so busy I didn’t really get around to it. The night before the class I decided to read a little just so I could follow the discussion, but I ended up getting so immersed in the language and the characters and the mystery, that I was up till the wee hours of the morning reading it.
Michael: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling: It was just released when I was in college. I pulled an all-nighter, forgetting I had an 8 a.m. exam the next morning.
Julia: The Secret History by Donna Tartt: It came out decades ago, but I just read it for the first time in 2013 and I was pretty much prying my eyes open to read at night, or skipping the express train in favor of the local during my commute, just so I could read more. The Secret History felt like it was written for me (narcissistic, I know): it was creepy, suspenseful and strange, and oddly stylish in all the right ways. Almost three years later, I still love talking about it.
Alex: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro: While searching for a book to read during an upcoming flight, a friend recommended The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro. Once I started this novel, I couldn’t put it down! The two main characters, who grew up decades apart, are brought together by a mysterious inheritance. From uncovering the inspirations behind the most talented perfumer to leaving her husband, which was unheard of in the 1950s, Grace Monroe is presented with a “new life” through the inheritance of a woman she has never met. Through twist and turns the book uncovers the past and seamlessly connects the lives of two women worlds apart.
Brittany: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan: The characters were so wonderfully absurd and dynamic that I had a hard time putting the book down! I liked it so much that I already finished the sequel.
Megan: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. The story was enthralling — I devoured it.
-Gianna Lakenauth, Corporate Communications intern
