By Anna Lococo
Starting a new school year can be full of difficulties, but one way to escape from everyday stresses and anxiety is to read a good book. Reading is a great way to clear the mind, explore new ideas, or take a mental vacation through a novel set in a foreign land. If you are looking for what to read next, Bellarmine students, professors and staff have recommendations.
For anyone who enjoys sports, “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight is a book that junior Wilson Murphree enjoyed reading. “Shoedog” is an industry slang name given to a veteran of the footwear industry, and this book is about the grit and determination the book’s characters needed to create Nike.
Murphree said: “This book was interesting to read not only was it a good story about the creation of Nike, but I think it is cool that we wear Nike here at Bellarmine. This book really made me think about the hard work these people went through to build something so big that we all wear today.”
If you like reading about celebrities’ lives, a book for you would be “Jeannie Out of the Bottle,” which is about Barbara Eden who was an actress in the ‘60s and ‘70s and played in the TV show “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Eden is 91, and she had a lot of challenges as a young actor as well as several personal tragedies. She lost her only child to a drug overdose and had a miscarriage.
“I have to say recently in the last year I read the book called ‘Jeannie Out of the Bottle,’” professor Winne Spitza said. “What was interesting was I grew to admire her as a person more. You know you think they are celebrities, and they lead these glamours lives. I really like the book because even someone who you think is a great celebrity, they are humans just like all of us.”
Looking for a book that will keep you up at night thinking? “Verity” by Colleen Hoover is the perfect one for you. “Verity” is a suspense thriller about a character who is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime that causes her to explore trauma and truth.
“I loved ‘Verity’ because there was so many unexpected twists and turns,” first-year student Gabby Brissett said. “I love watching two of the main characters fall in love, even when they shouldn’t have.”
Other recommendations include:
· “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens, recommended by athletic trainer Alexa Hill
· “A Game of Thrones” book series by George R. R. Martin, recommended by sports performance coach Sara Johnson
· “Killing Floor” by Lee Child, recommended by Bellarmine volleyball coach Rick Nold
· “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, recommended by professor Heather Pruss
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