London is the perfect place for reading for many reasons. Once is that most people spend a ton of time on the tube and a perfect commuting activity is reading. Another is that the typically gloomy weather creates the perfect environment to curl up with a cup of tea and a good book.
So here are some book that I highly recommend if you are studying abroad in London!
1. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
I actually read this book a couple of months before studying abroad and it helped me work up the courage to go on this adventure. This book is about a woman who attempts to find herself while hiking the pacific crest trail. This is the authors own true story and I found it to be very motivational. From it I took away that I can do anything and that even if a situation sounds scary I am capable of overcoming that fear. This is a great mindset to get into when studying abroad because so much is new and foreign and you have to learn to be brave at times.
2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
This is retelling of Harry Potter with gay characters, but it's also so much more. Yes there are tons of parallels to the Harry Potter series, but it's also it's own unique story. It becomes so moving and heartbreaking at times, but also so hilarious. I instantly fell in love with the characters. This is a good book to read abroad because it takes place at a British magical school. I suppose you could also read Harry Potter, but since pretty much everyone in the world has already read Harry Potter this is great alternative.
3. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
This is the first book of the Rivers of London series (it's also called Midnight Riot if you need help finding a copy). This series is about a police officer in London who solves crimes of the supernatural nature. You've got magic, mystery and London all wrapped up in each book. It's pretty much perfect. This book is the absolute best for studying abroad in London because in every book there are references to locations in London and having lived here the last few months it's cool to recognize the locations mentioned in the book.
4. More Than This by Patrick Ness
This is a story about a boy who dies (not a spoiler, this happens in the first couple of pages) and about what happens to him after death. It's not about the afterlife in a religious sense by any means. It's better to go into this book not knowing anything else, so I'm going to leave the synopsis at that. It's a good book for studying abroad in London because parts of the story do take place in London and it's just great to read books set in London while in London. Another reason is that this a captivating and easy to read book so it will keep your attention even during peak hours on the tube.
5. Othello by William Shakespeare
The best time to read a Shakespeare play is when you are in London. I recommend Othello because it's really easy to understand (even if Shakespeare is not really your thing). It's a story about how jealousy can lead you to do crazy things. And it has the best villain in Shakespeare, Iago. London is home of The Globe Theatre, so even if you don't read Othello, check out a Shakespeare play there.
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