The novels that made university feel like home

The deciding fear I had about starting university was my assumption that I would have no time to read for fun, being overwhelmed with the set reading that an English degree requires. Then, I predicted that, during the usual time I set aside for reading, I would either be making dinner, attending a circle, or chatting with my flatmates. Luckily, with some serious time management, I managed to do it all. I might have been reading into the early hours of the morning, or in the kitchen with a rowdy conversation happening across from me, but I would still say I have had the best reading year of my life.  

The warm found family Anne makes for herself, meant the anxieties of university were washed away with the pure joy that this book radiates

Starting university is a disorientating experience, especially getting lost going to lectures, making a new circle of friends, and learning how to be an adult. Anne of Green Gables’ comforting descriptions of rural Canada, Anne’s whimsical musings, and the warm found family Anne makes for herself, meant the anxieties of university were washed away with the pure joy this book radiates. The nostalgia of re-reading my childhood favourite book (with its relatable aspects of Anne starting afresh in a new home, making friendships and mistakes aplenty), helped me settle into university’s quirks.  

The comfort of a story written thousands of years ago confronting my same anxieties

As an English student, I obviously had to read plenty of books this year. Reading literature for university-level analysis was daunting, but the first book I read, The Epic of Gilgamesh, dispelled my fears over having chosen the right course, as I loved it intensely.  The oldest surviving epic poem depicts the tyrannical king Gilgamesh for whom, in punishment, the Gods create the primitive, wild Enkidu to challenge him. What follows is a fascinating story of friendship, grief, and mortality; and the importance of embracing the life, community, and love we have. Perhaps it was the comfort of a story written thousands of years ago confronting my same anxieties, that made me fall in love with both my degree and the life I was building for myself at university.

The depiction of the complexity of friendship, illness, and self love was so beautiful, I found myself falling head-over-heels in love with it

My favourite part of first year were the best friends I made, who were also big readers. Gushing over our favourite books, characters, and the stories that shaped us as individuals was one of the best ways of getting to know each other. So, when my best friend declared Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin as the best book of her life, I had to give it a go. I went in cautiously, a multi-decade story of three friends developing video games and spiralling headfirst into love, success, fame, betrayal, and heartbreak not being my typical choice. But the depiction of the complexity of friendship, illness, and self-love was so beautiful, I found myself falling head-over-heels in love with it. Zevin’s genius concept of the various video games dictating the book’s structure, each one mirroring the events that inspire them, was enough to make even a non-gamer like me utterly invested. Being able to discuss my thoughts with my two best friends, including one who read the novel at the same time as me, is perhaps my favourite memory of first year.

The way friendship and acts of kindness were depicted in this novel made me think of all the wonderful ways my friends made me feel seen this year

The summer term at university, and implementing frequent breaks from revision, meant I read more than ever, taking these moments to read in the beautiful sunshine. Reading Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, a tale of the transformative nature and importance of love and found family, was perhaps the best thing to read at the close of first year. The way friendship and acts of kindness were depicted in this novel made me think of all the wonderful ways my friends made me feel seen this year. Like the protagonist William, who at the beginning of the book was so anxious and lonely at this new chapter of his life, as I was when starting university, I found myself finishing the year surrounded by the love of my found family, with this book leaving me feeling fulfilled and grateful for the life I had built for myself at university.