{"id":225,"date":"2024-12-30T21:38:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T21:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/?p=225"},"modified":"2024-12-30T21:38:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T21:38:02","slug":"winter-break-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/2024\/12\/30\/winter-break-reading-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Break Reading List"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey Hawkeyes!<\/p>\n

Hope your winter break is going well! This break, I decided to pick up some books and dive into reading. If you\u2019re looking for something new to add to your list, here are my recommendations for the new year:<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides<\/strong>
\nA woman kills her husband and then completely stops speaking, while a psychotherapist makes it his life\u2019s mission to “save” her. This thriller\/mystery had an intriguing premise, but it didn\u2019t completely blow me away. I\u2019m giving it a 3\/5. The pacing was slow, the characters were somewhat likable but didn\u2019t stand out, and while the plotline was decent, it didn\u2019t quite live up to its potential. It\u2019s not horrible, but it\u2019s also not amazing\u2014a middle-of-the-road read for me.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Appeal by Janice Hallett\u00a0<\/strong>
\nNow, this one is a favorite of mine! It\u2019s not written like a traditional novel; instead, it\u2019s presented entirely through documents, making it a unique mystery. The story focuses on a local theater troupe preparing for their next performance when the director\u2019s granddaughter is diagnosed with cancer. This prompts a fundraising effort, but not everyone is convinced the money is going where it should. Then, a dead body is found in one of the props, turning rehearsals into utter chaos. The drama unfolds as lawyers sift through the documents to figure out “whodunit.” I loved the variety of characters and how you get a front-row seat to all the drama without the characters themselves being fully aware of it. I\u2019m giving it a solid 4\/5. While it does have a follow-up called The Christmas Appeal<\/em>, I don\u2019t recommend it since it\u2019s essentially the same as The Appeal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Wicked:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wicked by Gregory Maguire<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m still in the process of reading this one, but so far, so good! Wicked<\/em> gives you the Wicked Witch\u2019s perspective, which is such a contrast to the classic Wizard of Oz<\/em> story from Dorothy\u2019s point of view. Compared to the movie, the book definitely takes a darker, more complex view of the land of Oz. I\u2019ll let you know my full thoughts once I\u2019ve finished it, but if you\u2019re into reimagined classics, this one\u2019s worth checking out.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Hopefully, these recommendations spark your interest or remind you of books you\u2019ve been meaning to read. Let me know if you\u2019ve read any of these or have other recommendations for me. Enjoy the rest of your break, and happy holidays, Hawkeyes!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hey Hawkeyes! Hope your winter break is going well! This break, I decided to pick up some books and dive into reading. If you\u2019re looking for something new to add to your list, here are my recommendations for the new year: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides A woman kills her husband and then completely stops speaking, while a psychotherapist makes it his life\u2019s mission to “save” her. This thriller\/mystery had an intriguing premise, but …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":154,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225\/revisions\/259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.admissions.uiowa.edu\/sylene\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}