Candice Smart, freshman in the University College, said her favorite books are fictional tales, many of which have had a very real impact on her life.
1.“Memnoch the Devil” by Anne Rice
“It’s the fifth book in (the Vampire Chronicles series) where Lestat is plucked out of the world by the devil. He is asked to become witness to creation, and so then he has to decide if he believes in God or the Devil and if he’s going to serve either of them. It’s an interesting spin on the typical ‘God is good and the Devil is evil’ thing. In this (book), God is like the bad guy and the Devil is the good one because he’s trying to help redeem the sinners and give them a chance at paradise. It’s interesting to see what Lestat decides to do.”
2. “A Madness of Angels” by Kate Griffin
“Matthew Swift is a wizard or sorcerer and he has this epic, crazy battle that ends with him coming near death, but then he magically is still alive. It has to do with magic, but it’s interesting because there are certain magical aspects to life. It was also just a kick-ass story where this guy overcomes his weaknesses. It’s one of my favorites because no matter what, if I need to pick up a book and read I can always come back to this. There’s such strong imagery that it’s like I can touch the book, flip to a random page and just get taken away – leave my own world and enter his.”
3. “Impulse” by Ellen Hopkins
“It’s a book of poetry, and using the poems, she tells the story of three people who all have problems. They’re all related because they all want to kill themselves. So they end up in this institution that’s like, ‘Hey kid, you’re not alone. Let’s help you get better.’ There was a point where I was suicidal, and I actually found this book through a friend and reading their stories told me, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. There are people who care about you. Don’t kill yourself.’ It got me through some hard times, even now. It also brought tears to my eyes. If a book can cause emotion like that, it is definitely a keeper.”
4. “John Dies at the End” by David Wong
“This one is a huge mind-f**k. The thing that drew me to this book in the bookstore was that on the back cover it says ‘Stop! You should not have touched this book with your bare hands. Don’t put it down, it’s too late. They’re watching you.’ And I’m like ‘What?’ So of course I had to read the book to get out of the game. It has a lot of deep stuff about the world that you never would have thought of. It’s all fictional, but there are aliens in it and soy sauce is a drug ... and the message of this is having to save the world by fighting a version of your own demons. Having to save the world by killing that beast was really intriguing.”
5. “Nevermore” by Kelly Creagh
“I’m a huge Edgar Allen Poe fan, and the fact that it says ‘Nevermore’ in the title totally hooked me. The prologue is Edgar Allen Poe running, trying to get away from these demons that are trying to take him into this other realm. So far this is the only book, even though it’s fictional, that has actually hinted on what happened when (he) dies, because we don’t really know. It’s an interesting spin based around this preppy cheerleader... with the most gothic scary guy in the class. It’s a cute little love story where she goes against all social norms. He keeps this journal, and whatever he writes in this journal starts meshing into its own parallel universe. It’s my favorite because it has to do with Edgar Allen Poe and it’s a fascinating way of hinting at what possibly could have happened to him when he disappeared...”
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Skylar Griego is a staff reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
