This Post was written by Hatchet reporter Daniela Matos. 

In between black friday marathon shopping and Christmas special viewings, try picking up one of these great reads.

“I Am Malala” By Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

For foreign affair junkies, women rights activists, or anyone looking for a tear jerking inspirational read post turkey coma check out “I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.” Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably caught the interview between Jon Stewart and Malala Yousafzai that aired in October and went viral. It’s not often that Jon Stewart is literally speechless. Malala recounts her life in the verdant Swat Valley, and specifically the life-shattering moment where a Taliban fighter shot her point-blank in the head for standing up for women and their right to attend school. Her crusade for girls’ education will definitely help put your sophomore slump or senioritis in perspective.

Sycamore Row By John Grisham

This novel remains at the top of many best-sellers lists today and not without good reason. “Sycamore Row” is the sequel to mystery author John Grisham’s “A Time to Kill,” which was written nearly 25 years ago. Grisham takes readers back  rather three years prior to controversial trial covered in the previous novel, “A Time to Kill.” This time around, the protagonist, Jake, deals with the trial of Seth Hubbard and the strange will Hubbard leaves behind after his suicide. With racism in full swing in Clanton, Miss., the novel is a legal thriller. For those who love a riveting story of justice and a masterfully narrated tale of mystery, intrigue and a dose of politically sensitive topics, “Sycamore Row” is perfect post-turkey reading.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

With dystopian novels like “Hunger Games” and “Divergent” sitting atop bestseller list and racking in dollars at the box office, sometimes its best to get back to basics. The classic sci-fi thriller, “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card made gruesome child led death matches cool long before Katniss Everdeen came on the scene.  It tells the tale of a government that breeds child geniuses and trains them as soldiers to fight and defend their world against a hostile alien race’s future plans to attack. The narrative is not lengthy or filled with unnecessary description, but rather paints this future world tastefully. There is an tangible tension as an unidentified narrator clues the reader into the events that are occurring, and the plot is busy and action-packed. “Ender’s Game” leaves you thinking, and if you can’t get enough of the creepy brilliant Ender Wiggins, be sure to check out the recent blockbuster adaptation. But, as always, the book is much better than the movie.