Books which can be used for comfort at university

Moving away to university for the first time can be a terrifying prospect for most freshers. The limited access to home comfort and familiar faces causes the challenges which come with student living to feel completely overwhelming. However, it is natural for even the most casual of bookworms to seek solace in literature during the most stressful periods of their lives. Here are five types of books that helped this student veteran (i.e. a third year) feel a little less homesick during her first week at Warwick.

The Escape Route

When first moving into your new accommodation, some find that the supposed ‘home away from home’ everyone has raged on about is the last place you want to be. If this is the case, books are the most efficient means of travel, with no passport needed! Becoming enthralled with the expansive worlds of another place or time can be the most efficient way to forget the loneliness you feel inside your room’s barren walls.

The veteran’s recommendation: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Fantasy novels like this one are by far the most effective of escape routes.

The places and people you’ve left behind do not have to feel so distant

The Childhood Memory

For many new students, one of the hardest feelings to combat during freshers week is homesickness. However, the places and people you’ve left behind do not have to feel so distant. Reading a favourite from your younger years can be an effective way of bringing a piece of home with you on your new adventures, helping to make your new surroundings a little more familiar.

The veteran’s recommendation: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K Rowling. A modern classic everyone loves, but also the book my mum used read to me before bed. It will always hold sentimental value.

The Easy Read

The external reading expected of new students can become extremely dense from the start, meaning that the books you would usually pick up for pleasure can begin to feel like another chore to be ticked off your heavy reading list. Selecting a lighter piece of literature during your downtime can prevent this, creating a distinct separation between the books you’re required to study and the books you read for fun. Though Teen Fiction and Chick-Lit can lack academic substance, genres like this can prove to be the leisurely, enjoyable read that gives you a chance to breathe and relax.

The veteran’s recommendation: When the Curtain Falls by Carrie Hope Fletcher. It’s very accessible and imaginative. I would recommend to all levels of readers.

Becoming actively engaged in a thrilling narrative may not guarantee peace of mind, but is a failsafe way of keeping your brain busy

The Page-turner

Much like the Escape Routes, novels with a mysteries and twists and turns can provide an easy means of forgetting your anxieties about the first few days at Warwick. Becoming actively engaged in a thrilling narrative may not guarantee peace of mind, but is a failsafe way of keeping your brain busy. Distracting yourself in this way can be a helpful of combatting any reservations you have about university, especially when thoughts of home continue to linger.

The veteran’s recommendation: The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin. I could not put down this must-read during Freshers week.

The Short Sharp Paperback

Even though books can provide a unique sense of comfort to those who read them, they can also be a bookworm’s downfall. It provides them with the perfect excuse to hide from university life when they need to engage with it most. Novellas and short stories provide a solution to this conundrum, giving you time to participate in all the activities on offer during Welcome Week without missing out on your reading.

The veteran’s recommendation: Anything Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. An author who is always engaging, enthralling, he keeps his stories under 150 pages.

BONUS TIP: AVOID THE HORRORS!

Trust the sufferings of Stephen King’s most avid reader on this one, the last thing you want is any further feelings of dread during your first week at university!