Stressbusters: Books for the End of the Semester

As a graduate student, I can’t stand even looking at a nonfiction book during the semester, so the phrase “Books for stress relief” might seem like a bit of a contradiction. However, there are a select few books that can act as a balm for the weary mind. I have listed a few below that have done this for me during the last few years of school.

Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. If you’ve ever felt like you’d rather run away to the woods and hide instead of facing your responsibilities, this is the book for you. On a moon called Panga, nonbinary tea monk Dex is tired of making people tea and listening to their problems, and wishes to run away into the uninhabited forest to “hear the crickets.” Dex finds an unlikely ally in Mosscap, a robot who lives in the wild. Chambers creates a utopian society in this book, one in which humans have successfully addressed issues such as climate change and transphobia. She points out that even in such a society, humans can suffer from issues such as depression and lack of purpose. Chambers’ dedication in the beginning of the book reads, “To anyone who could use a break.” Reading this book dared me to imagine a hopeful future instead of a disastrous one. As with most science fiction, you do have to suspend your disbelief a little bit, but it is well worth it for the precious hours of comfort provided by this book. Bonus– the book is less than 200 pages long, so it respects your time, but if you resonate with it, there is a sequel.

Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto. Maria, a young woman who has just moved to Tokyo to start college, returns to the seaside inn where she grew up with her cousin Tsugumi for a summer to say goodbye since her family is selling the inn. Tsugumi is a sickly girl who is also a big troublemaker and has a zest for life. Maria and Tsugumi have a classic nostalgic summer, getting into shenanigans, walking along the beach, eating fresh fruit, and making friends with strangers. This book is also short (less than 200 pages) and is imbued with a sense of longing for something you will never get back. I could almost smell the salty breeze while reading this book, and I’ve never been to the Japanese countryside. (Rutgers has the original Japanese version of this book in our collection).

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. I’ll put a warning right here that this book is over 400 pages long. I know, I know… why would you even want to go near that after a grueling semester? But this book is the most cathartic read on this list because it is an incisive criticism of academia from someone who clearly also loves it a lot. Alice Law is a graduate student in a prestigious field known as Analytic Magick at Cambridge University in the 80s. Alice is a dedicated student – she barely sleeps or eats, and runs purely on coffee and a persistent desire to prove herself worthy of being a Cambridge scholar. Due to an accident (that she suspects is her own fault), her faculty advisor Jacob Grimes dies and is sent to hell. Alice isn’t about to let this affect her future – she needs that faculty recommendation – so she decides that she must journey to hell to save his soul. She is joined by her academic rival Peter who also, for his own reasons, wants to get Grimes back, even though they both agree that Jacob Grimes is basically a terrible person – selfish, abusive, and obtuse. Upon arrival in hell, Peter exclaims: “Christ… Hell is a campus.” Kuang explores issues of imposter syndrome, academic pressure, and marginalization in academia due to race, gender, and disability.

a row of books — *A few additional tips for selecting “stress-relieving books”*

Short story collections and novellas are excellent for unwinding because they don’t take up too much time and can provide that feeling of satisfaction that you get when you finish a book. Two of my favorite short story collections are Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri and Men without Women by Haruki Murakami. Additionally, revisiting books that you enjoyed when you were younger can be a great way to relieve stress. For me this can look like revisiting the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan or the novel Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass. Books from your childhood can provide comfort and nostalgia for a time that was less stressful. Finally, while nonfiction books are generally more challenging to focus on during the school year, books that focus on meditation or stress relief can provide you with essential advice on staying calm and reducing tension. One of my favorites this year has been Fear: A Powerful Guide to Overcoming Uncertainties and Personal Terror, and Finding Peace and Freedom from Anxiety by Thich Nhat Hanh. Hanh provides meditation guidance and mantras for stress relief that can help alleviate the anxiety and fear of failure that arises during exam season.

One last suggestion if you truly feel like you cannot open another book– why not try audiobooks? They’re just like podcasts but without the advertisements. One of my favorite ways to enjoy audiobooks is to select an audiobook in one of my interest areas, load it up on my headphones and take a soothing walk. I also enjoy filling out coloring pages while listening. Whatever you’re working on during this finals season– remember to take some time for yourself, and good luck!

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