A Jumbo's Bookshelf: What We're Reading
Since beginning as a JumboTalk blogger in the fall of my freshman year, I’ve written quite a few articles. I have a lot of favorites; ones you’d expect, like blogs about theater at Tufts, or the food scene around Tufts, but one of my favorite articles I’ve written was about what students at Tufts are reading. I’m a big reader (and not just because I’m an English major), and I love hearing what kinds of books my friends and fellow Jumbos are reading. In my previous “What We’re Reading” article, I said that the books people choose to read can tell you a lot about a person, and when you compile a list of books from people in a community, that can tell you a lot about the community. So here are a few current reads from some of our students here at Tufts. I hope this will give you some insight into our community, literary and otherwise!
Emma (me)
Class Year: 2026
Current Read: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Genre(s): Coming-of-Age, Urban Fiction
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195430687-blue-sisters
Sam
Class Year: 2025
Current Read: Last Argument of Kings by Joel Abercrombie
Genre(s): Fantasy, Fiction
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/944076.Last_Argument_of_Kings
Isa
Class Year: 2026
Current Read: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Genre: American Realist Novel
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18114322-the-grapes-of-wrath
Kay
Class Year: 2027
Current Read: The Berry Pickers By Amanda Peters
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Coming-of-Age, Domestic Fiction
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123036004-the-berry-pickers
Amanda
Class Year: 2026
Current Read: Devotions by Mary Oliver
Genre: Poetry
Goodreads Link:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34272476-devotions
Kylie
Class Year: 2025
Current Read: Yellowface by R.F Kuang
Genre(s): Satire, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
Goodreads Link:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047984-yellowface
Kat
Class Year: 2028
Current Read: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808050-daisy-darker
Maddie
Class Year: 2025
Current Read: Circe by Madeline Miller
Genre(s): Novel, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35959740-circe
From mystery to poetry, fantasy to coming-of-age, it’s clear that Tufts students read far and wide. Though a small sample size, I believe these recommendations say a lot about our community at Tufts. We find escape in fantasy novels, seek meaning through poetry, and aspire to understand the literary canon through classic novels. Each of the books on this list is as unique as its reader. Not only are students at Tufts avid readers, but they enjoy talking about the books they are reading as well. As I was compiling this list, I found that students were eager to tell me what they were reading, and this doesn’t just apply to English majors! Some of the students on this list are Computer Science, Political Science, and Sociology majors. Tufts is a literary place, and there is a space for readers of any and every kind here!
Here's the link to last year's article!: https://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/jumbo-talk/post/what-we-re-reading/