Finals Edition: The A&E Staff’s winter break reading list

One of the most paradoxical aspects of college life is the simple truism that although, as college students, we spend most of our time reading in some way or another, many of us find that what we miss most about free time is the time to read. Thankfully that will all be over soon, and the The Pitt News Arts and Entertainment staff has compiled a few breezy winter reads to keep you entertained as you huddle away from the cold.

Jack Trainor

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz

Junot Diaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” is sure to keep your spirits high and warm through the duller moments of winter break. Set in New Jersey and the tropical Dominican Republic, Diaz’s comedic tale of an overweight and cursed comic book fanboy desperately searching for love is not only hilarious, but a quick read. Diaz makes a lot of pop-culture references, especially nerdy ones, so if you’re a comic book or fantasy literary genre enthusiast, this book is for you. Even if you’re neither of those things, Diaz’s charm rivals that of Chancellor Mark Nordenberg himself. 

Grace Kelly

“The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel” by Helen Wecker 

Not your traditional holly-frosted Christmas novel, “The Golem and the Jinni” is the perfect book to read curled up on your couch with the winter winds swirling outside. The plot centers on Chava the golem and Ahmad the jinni, who form an unlikely friendship in the face of travel, evil and the cultural challenges immigrants faced during this time of rapid growth and change. Wecker weaves religious tales and traditions with the burgeoning atmosphere of early 20th century New York City and adds a dash of mystery and suspense to keep it a lively and engaging read. 

John Lavanga

“South by No North” by Charles Bukowski

Enough with the overwhelming symbolism and indulgent wordplay: Every now and again it’s nice to read a story that doesn’t concern itself with worrying about making statements. “South by No North” is such a collection. Though perhaps one of the most frequently overlooked pieces in the Bukowski canon, it’s Bukowski at his finest.

Whether he’s bitterly mulling the blind reverence that fame brings him in “This Is What Killed Dylan Thomas” or putting forth his best ode to Ernest Hemingway in “The Killers,” Bukowski’s writing is a wry, liquor soaked reminder that beautiful prose can come grime encrusted and stinking of cheap beer.

Dylan Abbott

“John Dies at the End” by David Wong

If you’re searching for an immensely comic surrealist horror novel that will make you question reality while asking, “Why is that guy talking into a hotdog?” then this might be your ideal winter read.

The story documents the descent of David and his best friend John into literal hell, having taken a drug known as “soy sauce.” Cue warped time, a man made of cockroaches, demonic shadow people, a dog called Molly that won’t ever die and flying white bugs that turn people into malevolent hell-beings intent on dragging the world into darkness. Oh yeah, and a guy talking into a hotdog.

It’s absurd, bamboozling fun full of genuinely frightening moments. If that doesn’t sound festive enough for you, I don’t know what will.

Matt Singer

“Armageddon in Retrospect” by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut’s collection of short stories “Armageddon in Retrospect” focuses primarily on post-World War II Europe. Slipped between the stories is a copy of a letter that Vonnegut wrote to his family, chronicling his time as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany. This document complements the short story “Wailing Shall Be in All Streets,” which recounts the firebombing of Dresden.

So much of this posthumously published collection is haunting, but it’s classic Vonnegut because it braces you for the cold indifference of the universe while simultaneously enriching your appreciation of the human spirit.But why read “Armageddon in Retrospect” during the holidays?  The answer can be found in a speech Vonnegut gave to Clowes Hall in Indianapolis, the text of which is included in this collection: “And how should we behave during this apocalypse? We should be unusually kind to one another certainly, but we should also stop being so serious.”