While some may remember having a parent read a spooky chapter aloud before bedtime, visiting a local bookstore with a best friend or that unique feeling when you finish a book knowing it’s going to become your next favorite, everyone has a different favorite reading memory. Junior creative writing major Luciana Paventy told The Panther about hers.

“Something my mom used to do when my siblings and I were kids was we would do a read-a-thon, and she would turn the living room into a little fort,” Paventy said. “Then, we would bring our picture books and children’s chapter books (downstairs). I feel like that would be fun to do with my roommates or something like that.”

National Read a Book Day is a celebration of the love of reading books, observed on Sept. 6 each year. It's a day that encourages people of all ages to rediscover the joy of reading. Whether it’s with the company of a gripping novel, a thought-provoking nonfiction book or a beloved childhood classic, this day serves as a reminder of the limitless adventures found in a book. In honor of the holiday, Chapman students shared their favorite book recommendations as well as fun reading memories. 

Senior screenwriting and psychology double major Nicole Birch shared that her favorite book genre is fantasy, with her favorite book being “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss.

“I definitely read for escapism, so fantasy is just the best at letting me do that,” Birch said. “It's more exciting for me to deal with fantastical problems rather than real world problems ... During COVID, a ton of people got back into reading books, and so did I. That's when I really was leaning on my fantasy escapism.”

First-year graduate creative writing major Emma Niro told The Panther she would spend every moment reading if she could. She fondly recalled a cherished birthday memory that revolved around her beloved local bookstore from back home in New Jersey.

“I remember for one of my birthdays, I brought (my friends) to my favorite local bookstore,” Niro said. “It's called River Road Books. I actually got to work there when I was older, which is fantastic. I used to beg her to let me work at her shop when I was like 11. But when I turned (13), I brought all my friends to the bookstore and we all got to choose a book to buy.”

But for Niro, reading isn’t just a favorite pastime. Discovering the book “Perfect” by Ellen Hopkins actually played a part in helping Niro figure out her sexuality. 

“I would say that this was the first book that I read where there was a lesbian love story in it,” Niro said. “And that really spoke to me, and I was like 16 years old and completely closeted. That (book) did a lot of the heavy lifting for me.”

Despite the ease some people might find in picking up a book whenever they want to read, there are others who have trouble getting out of a slump. While some people might pick up an easy romance novel or a quick palette cleanser, Paventy recommends short stories. 

“(Lily King) has a bunch of short stories called “Five Tuesdays in Winter,” and they're just really fun, quick, easy reads,” Paventy said. “I recommended it to one of my friends recently to get her out of a reading slump. She thought it was super helpful because they just were such quick reads. It felt like she was reading a novel, but she was able to break it up into short stories.”

Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have both developed sides meant for book lovers, Bookstagram and BookTok respectively. These pages include recommendations, reviews and even silly videos of people comparing books to different zodiac signs, the albums in an artist’s discography or birth months. 

While these platforms can be helpful for finding a new read, they have also created an oversaturation of reviews and recommendations which Paventy found unhelpful, especially during the peak of COVID-19. Paventy told The Panther that one book she believes receives too much attention despite being problematic is “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov, which contains very controversial content about a relationship with a sizable age gap. 

“I think part of the fun of reading is discovering your own style and what you like to read,” Paventy said. “So on social media (accounts) where they review and suggest (books), I think it does kind of take away from that experience. And not everyone has the same style. I also think sometimes social media highlights the wrong type of books. I think there definitely can be an (oversaturation) in that realm.”

Finding a book recommendation that's suitable for every reader may be a tall task, but Niro firmly believes the perfect answer lies in Stephen Chbosky’s “Perks of Being A Wallflower.”

“I think because not only is it a beloved classic, and there's a great movie associated with it, but it also hits on a lot of hard topics (mental health, abuse and intimate relationships) that I think the young adult genre is trying to cover today,” Niro said.