By Julia ’26
After the chaos of a long school week, there are many different ways to relax, and a good book (not from your English class) is one simple solution against boredom and stress. There are lots of options for great books that can help you de-stress but these are two recommendations that will make sure you are hooked by the first page!
- “Shadow and Bone” by Marlborough alumni Leigh Bardugo
Within a few pages, Bardugo quickly introduces the audience to the magical people called Grisha and their world. “Shadow and Bone” follows the protagonist, Alina Starkov, in Bardugo’s Russian-inspired country of Ravka, which is torn by a magical swath of practically uncrossable land known as the Unsea. Hundreds of years ago, a man with the rare Grisha ability to control shadows transformed this land by making it inhospitable and turning the inhabitants into monsters. During her trek across the Unsea, Alina discovers that she has a rare ability that can save her people if she learns to control it.
- “They Both Die at the End” by Adam Silvera
This story by Adam Silvera isn’t spoiled by the title. It follows Mateo, whose father is in a coma, and Rufus, who has recently been broken up with, as they meet for the first time on the last day of their lives. Mateo and Rufus discover that they have 24 hours to live after they both receive a call from the elusive company “Death-Cast,”which has a mission to notify people when their time has come. Neither the readers nor characters know when or how this will happen. The story poses the questions: What would you do if you had one day to live? Would you spend your time with friends who may look at you with nothing but pity or a stranger who shares the same fate? And will you remain strangers or become something more?
