It is curious how a new year brings with it the longing for new beginnings, new attitudes and a new self. How much of it is actually possible though still seems quite shrouded in uncertainty, but there is no denying the furor of resolutions we witness around us during this time. I, for one, have always held quite a healthy amount of disdain for New Year’s resolutions. It seems superfluous for me to hold out for the hand of the clock to strike midnight into the new year to put into affect everything you want to do, and all that you wish to change.
I do believe very strongly that if you are to have resolutions for the new year the best ones are those that consist entirely of books. Books will inspire you to not only hold onto resolutions all year but continuously create new ones. Because, at the heart of it, despite all our yearly pledges to eat better, be adventurous and be more healthy or organized, what we’re all really and truly looking for is some inspiration. What better place to look for inspiration that within books.
Since inspiration is always found in the strangest and most unexpected places, and merely wanting to find it is not enough, I knew that concocting a list of books that will inspire you into 2015 by my own hand would be futile. But “inspiration” nevertheless still struck, excuse the sad pun, and it occurred to me that I wanted nothing more than to read books that have inspired my friends. If you can’t create it and you can’t even find it at the moment, you can most surely borrow it. And borrow it I did.
“The Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut starts the list, recommended by a friend with an excellent beard, and a fondness for literary masterpieces that venture out into alternate universes. He remarked, “It is a book about how silly the notion of humanity’s purpose is and it inspired me to make up my own meaning to life.” My initial research, and perusal of the book that I’ll soon be reading myself, helped me reinforce my belief of literature being wildly entertaining and otherworldly deep at the same time in the hands of the right person.
Now, a foundation for feminism: “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin. It stayed with a friend who read it when she was merely 16, and one who is still searching to be drawn into a book like she was with this one, as well as “Twilight,” but no judgement there–alright, maybe a smidgen of judgement. In her own words though, “A romance aspect that seemed like a deep love drew me in but it also tied in with female desire and sexuality, as well as feminism and gender roles to it. All of that made it stay with me.”
Henry David Thoreau’s collection of essays on happiness, success and fame struck a chord with someone who is always searching for inspiration within words, so you know that it’ll have to be sheer brilliance to make a lasting impression. Thoreau is capable of doing all that and more. His rationale is simple: “I like the way he writes and his ideas on what it means to live a good life. He says all of that eloquently and backs it up. And it just makes a lot of sense to me.”
Someone who is never without sage advice and is an enthusiast for tackling the big questions recommended “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom, a story about life’s greatest lesson. I do not even need more reasons to pick up this one, but I was given some pretty great ones anyway. “Because he tackles life’s biggest disappointments and dreams all in one short book. It’s very relatable and candid. It’s based on a true story and he doesn’t hold back details because they are ugly or make him look bad.”
New Year’s should not only be about discovering new things but also about second chances. So it seems almost poetic to end with a book that we’re all familiar with, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. If anything were to convince me to pursue it now, it would be the words of a friend, a most avid reader, with a flawless taste in literature. “It inspired me to take pride and glorify my own mind; to live life instead of just imagining and thinking about it. It taught me that we are all completely twisted and messed up, and so are our friends, but you have to accept that and find the glory in being a misfit.”
So like I said, inspiration can be found in strangest and most unexpected places. Here’s to an inspired 2015!
Do you have a book that inspires you? Email Maham at mhasan4@wisc.edu.
