With a new semester starting, what books have some of UHS’s students been keeping themselves busy with? In a poll on social media, 64% of responses said they have read a book within the past month. Here’s a list of some of the book recommendations from UHS students and staff that responded to the poll.
The most popular recommended book was Atomic Habits by James Clear. Many people recommended the book because of its strong message. This is Clear’s first book and has become a huge success as a New York Times bestseller. On his website, Clear says his book offers, “a proven framework for getting 1 percent better every day.”
Senior Arne Noori said, “[Atomic Habits has been] especially important during the pandemic to stay disciplined managing your work online”. 
Noori also commented saying that current juniors should definitely read the book coming into the college application season. The book has received a rating of 4.8/5 stars on Amazon and a rating of 4.4/5 on Goodreads.
Another popular recommendation was the book that juniors in AP Language and Composition are currently reading, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age by Sherry Turkle. In this book, renowned media scholar Sherry Turkle describes the effects of technology in our everyday lives and the impacts it has on our future. First, Turkle goes over the effects of technology on our ability to be with ourselves and then goes on to outline how it also affects our conversation and communication with those around us. 
“It’s very important that in this age of digital communication, we recognize the effects, both positive and negative, of our conversation going all digital,” junior Max Li said. “[The book is] especially important during Covid where we are restricted to mostly online conversations.” 
Reclaiming Conversation is a New York Times bestseller and has received many words of praise from well-known news sources. Some students also believe Turkle provides a strong argument to the effects of technology on society.
Junior Sanay Saboo said, “all in all, a great read and an even better experience.” 
Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown was the third book recommendation from the poll. This series of five science fiction books are about the main character’s mission to extract enough precious metals from Mars to one day allow humans to live on the planet. Junior Kian Agahi recommended this dystopian book because of its engaging storyline and style of writing. 
“It is very emotionally charged and dark, and the characters are actually flawed unlike how some stories claim”, Agahi said. “I blew through 500 pages in 2 weeks, which is really fast for me currently.”
The Red Rising Trilogy has a rating of 4.2/5 on Goodreads and 4.6/5 on Amazon.
The last book recommendation is Eragon by Christopher Paolini. In this fiction novel, a young farm boy finds a mysterious stone that is a dragon’s egg. Even though this novel is from the early 2000s, some students still remain fans of the book.
“Eragon has a very extensive story building with well-developed characters,” junior Jack Guo said. “You can feel for all of the characters because of the depth the author has put into the book.”
Eragon was the third bestseller for children in 2003 and was on the New York Times bestseller children’s book list for over two years.
Other book recommendations from UHS students include I am Number Four by James Frey and Jobie Hughes, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Behind the Scenes of 60 Minutes by Ira Rosen.