Everyone has hobbies. There’s so many different hobbies that a person could pick up and enjoy, so there’s truly something for everyone. While some people enjoy sports or gardening, one of my favorite hobbies is reading. Reading isn’t for everyone, but for the people who enjoy reading, there are countless genres of books to choose from, making it easier to find something that interests the reader. As someone who’s been heavily into reading for years, I’ve certainly read a number of works, and today I’ve decided to talk about a few. Most of the books I’m going to talk about are a part of some type of series, but not all of them. 

The first book I’m going to talk about is one of my absolute favorite books; Paper Towns by John Green. This book focuses on two main characters, Quentin and Margo. Quentin is a normal, well-adjusted kid who does well in school, has a solid friend group, and is just overall on track to have a successful life. And then there’s Margo. Margo is Quentin’s next door neighbor, and his longtime crush, with the addition of being the biggest source of drama in his life. Margo is portrayed as the stereotypical “cool girl.” She’s considered popular but also rebellious, and is followed around by a cloud of mystery. The two grew up together, but the real adventure starts when Margo asks Quentin to chaperone her around while she completes an 11 part list of ways to get revenge on her friends or anyone who’s wronged her. Shortly after the list is completed, Margo disappears and Quentin is left believing she left a trail of clues to find her. 

Paper Towns is one of my favorite books because it really focuses on how hard it can be to leave a place or situation that may not be the best for you, but you know that you ultimately made the right choice afterwards. One of my favorite quotes by Margo is “It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”

The next set of books I’m going to talk about is the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie. This trilogy includes the books Matched, Crossed, and Reached. These books follow the storyline of a group of teenagers living in a tightly-controlled society where they will be “matched” with their assigned life partners at the age of 17. Throughout the story, the main character, Cassia, struggles with the idea of if she loves her match or not, and if she should fight to get to decide who she marries and spends her life with. At one point in the story, Cassia runs away with a boy she loves, and ends up hearing about a rebellion that is trying to take down the matching system. A lot of really great characters are introduced throughout the story, and it really paints the picture that everyone has their own personalities.

My favorite thing about this trilogy is the fact that the author focuses a lot on poetry and  brings in a number of different literature and artworks that are real works. While this isn’t truly anything new, it really introduced me to a lot of different works. One of the most common works mentioned is by an author named Dylan Thomas. 

While these are just two of my favorite works, I could go on and on for days about the literary works I’ve read and really enjoyed. Reading isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly something I enjoy.