With the first month of the New Year coming to a close, I think it’s an appropriate time to reflect on the goals that I set. One of those goals was to read more, so then I started thinking about all the books I’ve read during my time as a undergraduate. Perhaps this will inspire your next read, but enjoy my thoughts on all the books I’ve read so far:

1. A Secret History by Donna Tart

This book is set in a college, so I thought it was the perfect start to my life as an undergrad student. I took basically all of my freshman fall term to read the first half, and I finished the second half in three days during winter break. There were very cool twists and turns, and incredibly peculiar characters. Definitely one of my favorites now.

2. How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life by Epictetus

I read this on my flight back to campus. I wanted to start reading more philosophy since I was taking my first philosophy class during winter term 2025.

3. Power and Impact by Harvard Business Review

This is less a book and more a collection of essays, so it was a very quick read. This is part of a whole series of books to help guide people’s professional life through the lens of emotional intelligence.

4. Innovation the NASA Way: Harnessing the Power of Your Organization for Breakthrough Success
by Rod Pyle

I think I was really into career books at this time… This book basically talks about the history of NASA and how we can apply the ways NASA operates into our own organization or business. I thought it was cool how there are bullet points throughout the chapters detailing generalized problems and solutions we can learn from the story. Pretty cool now that I’m going to work at JPL!

5. The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene

Probably the heaviest read on this list. I was taking the core physics classes at the time, so I think I was just bombarded with physics. Very interesting and an amazing start to learn about superstring theory, but some chapters I needed to read twice, and I still couldn’t tell you what it all means.

6. The Hero and the Goddess by Jean Houston

This was a random book I found during spring break at Myopic Books, this used-book store in Chicago. It was a self help book that basically compared your personal journey with the Odyssey. The book showed you how to find your hero’s journey and remove temptations from your personal lotus eaters, slay your cyclops, and so on. It encouraged you to journal and perform rituals with a script and music.

7. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I stole my sister’s copy to read it, it’s one of her favorite books. This book and the previous one were about going on a journey of self-discovery…

8. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury

This book was about how to navigate all the different types of negotiations in our lives. I figured this would be handy when going to the flea market in the summer. I liked the way it reframed negotiations as a collective goal to problem-solve with the other party.

9. But What If We’re Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman

When I was visiting home for the summer, I found my old copy of this book from high school. I re-read it with new eyes, and now I can talk about this book for ages. This book calls you to question the truths of today, and how future beings might perceive our lives now. I’m so happy I was reintroduced to this book, I don’t think I fully appreciated it until this second read.

10. Looking Out for #1: How to Get from Where You Are Now to Where You Want to Be in Life by Robert Ringer

The title is very promising, but this book did not help me. It tells you how to clear the hurdles that may stop you from living a happy life. It was first published in 1977… so maybe it didn’t resonate with me that much.

11. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Yet another borrowed copy from my sister. She said that I would really like this book… and she was right. Beautiful prose, I found myself laughing while also saying “Oh, no” a lot. I suppose I can’t blame the last book on age alone, as this is set in 1953. I’m currently the age of the protagonist (19 years old), and I understood her so deeply.

12. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Can you guess where I got this book? Hint: my sister! Another plane ride read on my way back from winter break, and I finished it quick. I love this book, it had very short chapters and dealt with the themes of science, religion, and the human condition.

13. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen

This play is another high school re-read. I brought a copy of it to Page House’s ski trip to pass the time. This is drama at its finest, and things get messy fast. If you struggle to get through novels, try reading plays!

13 books so far isn’t too shabby, but I definitely want to read more. I’m currently reading Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, which is a non-fiction career advice book. I hope 2026 will bring many more additions to this list, but until then, so long!

Alana