10. Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
This mystery has been called a Hitchcockian thriller and an incredible debut for Paula Hawkins. For anyone wanting to immerse themselves in a world consumed by betrayal, obsession, and murder, Hawkins’ novel is the perfect read for the New Year.
9. Why Not Me – Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling’s collection of short and comedic essays guides you through her everyday, her work, and her personal life. While you kill yourself laughing, Kaling’s stories will still manage to inspire and motivate you.
8. Thug Kitchen – Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis
This is no cookbook for little old ladies. Thug Kitchen gets real with readers, teaching them how to live and eat healthy while not breaking the bank. This collection of healthy alternatives is ideal for students looking to find an easy way to get their diet on track and have some fun doing it.
7. The Golden Spruce – John Vaillant
This book is a decade old now, but its vivid description and breathtaking telling of the fall of the golden spruce is as enjoyable today as ever before. John Vaillant somehow finds the words to describe the beauty, the tragedy and the legend behind a mythical tree and its untimely murder.
6. Modern Romance – Aziz Ansari
2015 was a milestone year for Aziz Ansari, and that’s partly due to the success of this book, which critiques and studies the way millennials connect with each other and form relationships. Drawing on his own experiences, Ansari helps us to understand what falling in love looks like today.
5. Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century – John Higgs
John Higgs shakes up everything we know to be true about history. Higgs suggests that up until the 20 century, history can be considered a natural progression of events and innovations — but the 20 century, in contrast, is a time of chaos and instability where no such model can be applied. Higgs’ interesting take on recent history will captivate you.
4. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
This deeply moving novel has been praised for its intense physical imagery and for the poetic and just representation of our need to form relationships. Doerr rightfully received the Pulitzer Prize for his enchanting and stunning work.
3. Off Track Planet’s Travel Guide for the Young, Sexy and Broke – Anna Starostinetskaya and Freddie Pikovsky
Just because we’re students living off of ramen noodles and crackers doesn’t mean we can’t see the world. This travel guide geared towards the young and broke provides a list of 100 destinations that could make 2016 the year you never forget.
2. An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth – Chris Hadfield
Chris Hadfield is undoubtedly a true Canadian badass. In his autobiography, Hadfield details his unbelievable journeys through the cosmos, like the time he broke into a space station with a Swiss army knife, and how he became the first Canadian to set foot on the Moon.
1. Fifteen Dogs – André Alexis
André Alexis’ novel has been the talk of the town since winning the Scotiabank Giller Prize. This playful and energetic novel plunges into the beauty and costs of human consciousness and forces readers to reflect on their own lives.
