Picture this: a bleak Tuesday morning in early autumn. It is 8.06 am and you’ve been waiting for your bus to arrive for what seems to be eternity. The wind is hurling, and you begin to wonder if the elective you chose simply because it was the only one available is really worth it. You’ve caught up on all the recent Tringe posts, and all of your playlists cannot seem to emulate the despair you’re experiencing. All that is left to do is simply accept your fate and reach for a book to make your commute a tiny bit less monotonous.
The 7 books listed below will ensure that your college commute is nothing short of stimulating. From short stories to lengthy novels, each of these works is full of reflections on life, travel, or relationships that will make those dreary mornings a little more bearable. So pick up your Kindle, the Hodges Figgis special edition, or that beat-up library copy, and get reading!
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
This little novel from the 2018 Nobel Prize Laureate is the perfect, if a little concerning, way to start your morning. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead follows Janina, a reclusive elderly Polish woman who takes it upon herself to investigate the sudden deaths occurring in her village. With a sharp, intricate plot and meditations on life and nature that gained Tokarczuk critical acclaim, this book will surely keep you in great company during the solitary train rides. An intriguing main character and a small town mystery are all you need to start these rainy October days right.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Referencing Dostoyevsky’s novel of the same name, Batuman’s The Idiot is a bildungsroman following Selin, a Turkish-American Freshman at Harvard University, who struggles to navigate university life and all that comes with it. Friendships, coming of age, and ill-fated situationships are just some of the everyday topics Batuman raises with superb finesse. The Idiot is a perfect commute read for those experiencing all the awkward, embarrassing, and lovely parts of being a young adult. It is the epitome of feeling a lack of control over your life and being strangely okay with it.
Letters to Milena by Franz Kafka
For the lovers of everything autobiographical and the hopeless romantics. Kafka’s letters, not unlike the rest of his writing, have a perfectly personal nature to them. Written to Milena Jesenská, Kafka’s Czech translator turned object of love, they make for a beautiful and complex study of love through correspondence. The collection, which transcends typical personal writing into a piece of craftsmanship, has been described as the most revealing and raw of Franz Kafka’s works. The epistolary format makes Letters to Milena an ideal morning read – personal, contemplative, and short enough to finish one during a bus ride.
Don’t Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier
While Daphne du Maurier is mostly known for her 1938 thriller Rebecca, her short stories are equally noteworthy. Dark and atmospheric, part horror, part mystery, the five stories that make up this collection are a delicious mix of the metaphysical and the macabre. Following characters on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or on holiday in Venice, they are perfect “travel” books – perfect to read on the go, particularly during the upcoming colder months. Du Maurier’s remarkable prose and wit will definitely make it challenging to stop reading.
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
If your favourite pastime happens to be yearning, this is a novel about just that. Originally written in Turkish, Madonna in a Fur Coat follows a man who moves to Berlin, where he meets an intriguing woman at an art exhibition. The two begin a curious friendship, which epitomises the complexities of all human relationships. With enticing descriptions of the 1920s German art scene, it is a breathtaking, if gut-wrenching, portrayal of the human desire for happiness and the nature of the human condition. If dreary autumnal mornings put you in a melancholic state, this is the one to get you through them.
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Imagine if the Trinity Bible – Sally Rooney’s Normal People – was written in the second person narrative and followed two Black British characters whose lives were immutably intertwined with each other, all against the backdrop of South East London. This description, though hopefully intriguing, does not give Open Water its due. This tiny novel, while only 150 pages long, constitutes a beautifully introspective love story that reflects on race and identity in a tone so poetic you will be brought to tears. A perfect read for those who desire something short but powerful to start their day.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Deemed an international bestseller and a must-read, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko requires no introduction. The author’s magnum opus, Pachinko, tells the story of multiple generations of a Korean family, starting with a teenage pregnancy that causes a move to Japan in the early 1900s. A brutally realistic portrayal of intergenerational trauma, discrimination, and the unbreakability of familial bonds, this over 500-page-long novel is perfect to work away at during long rides to campus. It’s ideal for those starting their journey with historical fiction and craving a story which will stay with you for weeks after.
