by Leigh Campbell

After one week, four plane rides and plenty of beach time, I combed through some interesting books over spring break. The following novels illustrate in depth and diverse characters as wells as interesting plots. If you are looking for the next interesting read, try any of these novels:

“Silver Linings Playbook”

Author Matthew Quick’s “Silver Lining Playbook” narrates the story of a mentally unstable 35 year-old Pat Peoples. With almost no memory of his stay in a mental institution and the events leading up to it, the novel is his journey of recovery with his cruel father, loving mother, changed brother, old friends, therapist, the Philadelphia Eagles football team and a new love interest. Told in People’s point of view, the book is endearing and compelling at the same time. Although it sometimes contains unrealistically irrational characters, “Silver Lining Playbook” will leave you hooked and rooting for Pat Peoples.

“Into Thin Air”

“Into Thin Air” is a first-hand account of the disaster on Mt. Everest in 1996. Detailing the actual events of the treacherous climb of Everest, author Jon Krakauer will leave you mourning the eight people who lost their lives attempting to summit the highest peak in the world. The true adventure story surrounding the story provides for a page-turning plot and research on things like lack of oxygen and its connection to rational thinking.

“Argo”

Former CIA agent Tony Mendez details his mission to extract six stranded Americans from Tehran at the height of the Iranian revolution. This straightforward novel is an easy read and interesting if you want to know about the inner workings of the CIA. The book goes into many of the painstaking details that went behind the almost impossible task of the extraction. For example, the CIA was considering to fake the death of the Iranian authoritative figure the population was revolting against and went so far as to find look alikes. I would recommend seeing the movie “Argo” before reading the book, as it is substantially better and more thrilling. The movie version is very embellished and the book goes into much more of the painstaking details that went behind the almost impossible task of the extraction.

“Insurgent”

Second installment in the “Divergent” series, “Insurgent” continues the story of Tris Prior living in a dystopian future society that is falling apart after a cliffhanger ending in book one. Confined to a city that is living within different groups with different jobs, Tris must battle the authority that takes away society’s rights. Tris must learn who to trust and fight to save her city while also balancing her new love life. Although the Divergent series isn’t as strong of a future utopian book, if you enjoyed “The Hunger Games” then you would like the “Divergent” series.