If you don’t like reading, you’re probably reading the wrong books! In all seriousness, reading the stories of different people in different places and spaces has been critical to the development of my worldview. Literature fostered empathy, deeper understanding of myself, my beliefs, and my value systems, and empowerment in my own life. It wasn’t until I started reading the kinds of books I actually liked, however, that I enjoyed reading. So, if you haven’t tried reading recently, here are some favorites from the Honors Program to inspire you and expose you to the wide variety of literature! And spoiler, if you’re anything like these interviewees, you might want to try reading sci-fi. The following content was derived from in-person interviews with Honors students and faculty members.
John Banta, Class of 2026: Neuroscience/Pre-medicine
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
A Preface to Morals by Walter Lippmann
Why did you decide to read it?
The title was interesting.
Why do you like the book?
I didn’t know what I was getting into and it challenged my faith a bit. It gave me a good perspective though. The author is a journalist and reporter from the 1930s. He is Jewish but more humanistic, agnostic, and atheist and made a good argument for how religion over time has lost its same power on people but is still important. The tone is more sad but that’s how things are. He also goes into reason and why scientific reasoning is important to science and morals.
Who would you recommend the book to?
Someone who is more confident in their faith. Without that, it might push someone over the edge, so it’s good to know where you stand.
Alley Falvo, Class of 2025: Biology/Pre-medicine
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
Why did you decide to read it?
My dad wanted me to read it. I also like the author’s books because they have an inviting style. They’re engaging, full of mystery, intrigue and development. They’re also nostalgic cause I liked his younger books.
Why do you like the book?
I liked it because of the female main character, which is not the norm for author’s books. I like that she played a big role politically. She’s a girlboss, and I liked the political side of the book in general. I think it’s relevant. It includes the supreme court and themes like racism.
Who would you recommend the book to?
Elva, pre-law people, maybe Nyla, and history majors cause it’s historical too.
Nyla Provost, Class of 2025: History and Sociology/Pre-Law
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Why did you decide to read it?
I watched the movie for A Time to Kill and it was just such an amazing story line, and I wanted to read it. So, I dove into it, and I was hooked.
Why do you like the book?
This book and A Time for Mercy by the same author are both legal thrillers and they are very fascinating. There are so many twists and turns in the story. It really made me think about my own ethics and if I believe in my own morals, because sometimes, the wrong thing is actually the right thing.
Who would you recommend the book to?
Anyone, really, because I think the social justice issues that are found within a lot of books by John Grisham are very prominent in the world today, and I think we could all learn something from it.
Yeeun Jun (Kelly), Class of 2025: Biology/Pre-medicine
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
Lord of the Mysteries by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving
Why did you decide to read it?
The story comes out in episodes. There are around 1,400 episodes right now. I saw comments that said that it is very interesting. I like fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery, and the reviews said that the ending is satisfying.
Why do you like the book?
There are no boring parts. It is story after story and each story connects to make a bigger picture.
Who would you recommend the book to?
I would recommend it to those who love mysteries, fantasy, and a mix of religious things like crosses, ghosts, and monsters. It’s similar to InuYasha and Sherlock Holmes.
Esther Olmedo, Faculty: Honors Coordinator
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Why did you decide to read it?
I loved all the Hunger Games books. I found out from the preview for the movie that there was a fourth one, which apparently came out years ago.
Why do you like the book?
I really like the action part of it, the emotional connection that you get with the characters, and I love a good love story. You don’t think that it’s going to have a love story, but it does.
Who would you recommend the book to?
Anyone who likes books about fantasy future.
Eddie Nguyen, Class of 2026: Biology/Pre-medicine
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Why did you decide to read it?
Someone gifted it to me and I felt bad about not reading it. They gave it to me like three years ago and I had nothing to do, so I was like, let me read it. And it was pretty good.
Why do you like the book?
I think it was super easy to read. It reads like a conversation and it made me laugh a lot.
Who would you recommend the book to?
I feel like everybody could use it, unless you already don’t give a f*ck anymore.
Daphne Prakash, Class of 2025: Biological Sciences
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
Why did you decide to read it?
I read it before in high school. I had read the chronicles of Narnia beforehand and I had a really nice English teacher who assigned us the reading, but we never got to finish the book together in class. I was talking with someone a while ago and they had mentioned sci-fi, and it came back to my mind and so I decided to reread and finish it.
Why do you like the book?
I think the self-discovery aspect of it. It was just really interesting. And I am also very fascinated by space and the idea of extraterrestrial beings. I also like C.S. Lewis way with words and the images he created. It’s a trilogy, too. The ending was a little bit of a cliff hanger, but, I like the parallels you can make with it and real life.
Who would you recommend the book to?
Honestly, I recommend it to everybody. I think you’ll like it more if you’re into sci-fi, for sure. It’s not a super long book either, so if you’re looking for a relatively short read that is pretty profound and something that you can make connections to things with, then I would say read it.
Katie Jang, Class of 2025: English Literature/Pre-dentistry
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
An Apprenticeship or The Book of Pleasures by Clarice Lispector
Why did you decide to read it?
My friends Alyssa got it for me for my birthday. She said she had heard good things about it and she really liked the cover. I also really liked the cover.
Why do you like the book?
I love the writing style. It is very introspective and like a stream-of-consciousness put together in a really beautiful and artistic way. It reminded me of books I’ve really liked in the past, like Schoolgirl by Osamu Dazai and No-No Boy by John Okada. It also captures the pleasures of life and self in a way I deeply connected to but never thought I’d see in words. I was kinda amazed by her ability to do so.
Who would you recommend the book to?
Everybody! But especially people who like to romanticize life and who like to approach the philosophical and introspective.
Dr. Geriguis, Faculty: English Literature (Seminar in Rhetoric; Seeking, Knowing, and Serving)
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Why did you decide to read it?
Octavia Butler came to my attention now quite a long time ago, and so it’s hard for me to remember what first brought me to her or what first brought me to Parable of the Sower, but what brought me back to reading these books that has just really ingrained it, are two things: one I was doing research at the Huntington Library during my last sabbatical and discovered that they are holders of her papers, which was fascinating. I mean she is a Southern California writer and they were celebrating some milestone in the time since they’d had hers. So that was just really interesting. I was at the Huntington to research 17th and 18th century British literature, which is maybe what people tend to associate more with the Hunington library, and to discover Octavia Butler’s papers were there was exciting. So that got me thinking about her again. Secondarily, around the same time I was asked to teach the 424 class for Honors. Professor Sutter and I were kicking around ideas of what books to read about worldview when it clicked for me: oh my goodness, Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower. I thought, what a fantastic book because we were just hitting the 2020s time period, which Butler had written about in the 1990s as “the future.” It was exciting to reread it and then read it with Honors students. As we were preparing to teach UNHR 424 for the second time this winter quarter, we learned that Dr. Ferreras’ and Dr. Mallery’s Changing Communities class was using Sower; therefore, Professor Sutter and I said, “Why don’t we do Parable of the Talents, the sequel to Sower, instead with the seniors in 424?”
Why do you like the book?
So I would say the first thing is how precinct it is – it feels prophetic. Just the way that she’s picking on things like a populist American candidate who plays on a lot of religious themes for the sake of controlling people; it’s just almost eerie. Also the way she looks at environmental impacts on human society. So she’s writing in the late ’80s early 90s when consciousness about environmental change was still really emerging, and to see how she imagined what in three decades it would look like and to be living in it and see, I mean both environmental issues and crime issues, issues of poverty, issues of migration of peoples and how the environmental and economic and political forces are pushing people to migrate. It makes the hairs on my arms stand up sometimes reading it. Like wow, she could really see the future. And on top of that, she’s just a beautiful writer. Her words, the images, the character, all of it, fantastic.
Who would you recommend the book to?
I do think college students, particularly students in a program like Honors that are trying to think interdisciplinarily, will find much to feast on in Butler. I also think anyone living in Southern California will enjoy reading it because of how geographically specific the work is.
Ester Peiro, Class of 2025: Biochemistry/Pre-medicine
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Why did you decide to read it?
I first decided to read this book when my mom gifted it to me for my 15th birthday. She’s a spanish philologist. This book was very important to her and it became important to me. I now re-read it all the time.
Why do you like the book?
I like this book due to its lack of plot, in the best of ways. What I mean is that I enjoy its subjectivity of experienced reality in terms of the characters. The way in which the story is so random and unpredictable is somewhat intriguing to me.
Who would you recommend the book to?
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. It’s just one of those things that you have to experience in order to understand, yet leaves you with more questions as you read. If you hate predictability and tropes, this one’s for you.
Dr. Mallery, Faculty: Psychology (Changing Communities)
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (and the sequel, Children of God)
Why did you decide to read it?
I think I heard the author interviewed in an On Being podcast. But I don’t remember for sure, and really I’m just trying to convince you that it’s a great book.
Why do you like the book?
One of the characters—a priest talking about Christianity—says “Maybe it’s only poetry, but it’s poetry to live for.” Thinking of religion or theology as poetry, as opposed to dogma, is an important game changer. Good science fiction, in general, is going to make you think about reality differently. Also, social psychologists like sci-fi.
Who would you recommend the book to?
People who are on a spiritual journey, and don’t have answers, and are okay with that.
Quinn McFarland, Class of 2026: English Literature/Art
What book have you read recently that you enjoyed, or what is one of your favorite books?
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Why did you decide to read it?
It was a recommendation from my dad. He read it a few years ago, and when I started to get back into reading, he bought me a copy.
Why do you like the book?
This is the first book that I had such an emotional attachment to the main characters that when it ended, I started sobbing. I’m not someone that usually cries at movies or TV shows, so having a book affect me the way that it did was really impactful. It’s also just such a fun story where you slowly learn more about the main character and why he acts the way he does.
Who would you recommend the book to?
Honestly, anybody should read this book. However, if you’re looking for a book to give you a good cry, put this book on the top of your list.
If you were waiting for a sign to pick up a book or finally start reading those ones you always say you’re going to read, this is it! And if you’re not enjoying it, maybe try one of these!
—Katie Jang, Class of 2025: English Literature/Pre-dentistry