GustavusReads |
The Folke Bernadotte Library talks to Gustavus students, staff and faculty about their experiences with books and reading as well as their recommendations. |
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Rikka Holiday
Rikka Holiday is a senior history major from Bozeman, Montana. She’s a member of the Women’s Golf Team, and this semester she’s the library’s intern. (Yay!) She’s been involved with History Club and the Student Senate Ethics Committee and enjoys participating in campus events. Favorite classes so far: Adolescent Literature and Modern East Asia!What is the most important book you’ve ever read?
One is Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams. It is an emotional roller coaster. It makes you think about life, government, religion and family, and it is all packed into one memoir.
Also, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It’s a book that makes you interested in other books. It was the book that sparked my interest in reading, anyway. I read it in 8th grade, I think, and was really impressed. “Wow, I need to read more!” I thought.
What was your favorite book as a kid?
The Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I read them with my dad. He would read a page and then I would read a page. These books were how I became a stronger reader. And I saw those books as being about me. I thought, “I’m from the West! This is what my life would be like if I lived when Laura did!”
Do you have a favorite book character?
Yes, I do…This is going to sound cheesy but Georgia Nicolson from Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. It’s a British book. It’s about boys. Georgia is just great. It’s hilarious.
The other would be Grandma Chapman in Blind Your Ponies by Stanley West. She’s a really interestingly developed character. I’ve never had a grandmother but I think she’s a character I’d want a grandmother to be like.
Where is your favorite place to read or study?
I always study on the 3rd floor of the library, in a cubbie on the Chapel side. Last year, when Beck was being built, I always sat on that side to watch! If I’m reading for pleasure, I read in my room.
What book(s) would you recommend to Gusties?
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It’s a quick, pleasure read. We read it in Adolescent Lit, and I loved it.
And The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell—It’s nonfiction. It makes you think about the world in such a different way.
