When you’re young, you think you know what you want to be when you grow up. You plan out your life: what job you want, who you want to marry, when you want kids. It sounds magical. You can’t wait to grow up.

Then suddenly you’re 20, you’re getting credits at uni, and you spend your Friday nights at home in pyjamas watching reruns of Friends. All that planning seems like a failed attempt at kickstarting your life.

During this stage of limbo, where I had no idea where to go with my life, I found refuge in books.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I’m going to start with a classic, the one that got me back into reading and my love for literature. Jane Eyre is an embodiment of independence, being true to yourself, and doing background checks on the guy you fall in love with.

What inspired me about Jane was her strong principles not only to herself, but to the people around her. She radiates strength and gave me the willpower to cut off toxic relationships and own up to my own mistakes. In short, be like Jane Eyre.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Becky Albertalli has a way of connecting with me when I know the least about myself. The protagonist, Molly, has never been kissed, had too many crushes (literally me), and doesn’t quite know where she wants to be with her life.

That space of uncertainty has been a well visited space during my 22 years on this planet, and Molly’s self-discovery and newfound friendships helped me open myself to new possibilities, to be brave and take the step it took to move from one university to another.

The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer

I was studying journalism in 2016 when this treasure fell into my lap. The protagonist is keen as a bean to get into the publishing industry as a journalist, to tell the truth in her stories. This book gave me the confidence I needed to rediscover my love for writing, and then realise that journalism wasn’t the avenue for me.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

There seems to be this idea that your hobbies and your passions come second to your “real life”. I remember someone telling me my love for video games wasn’t a realistic approach to finding a job, that my time is best spent studying.

Queens of Geek told me the complete opposite. That childlike feeling of conjuring dreams and holding onto them until they become a reality manifests in this book.

I learned to love my quirks, especially the pieces of me that loved pop culture, video games and art. I also figured out how to balance my study life and my geeky life. Props to you, Jen!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab

There seems to be a recurring theme in the books that have pulled me out of a funk: bravery.

Lila Bard from A Darker Shade of Magic is one of the fiercest and most courageous characters I know — even when she wants to pee her pants. As a thief from another dimension of London, she’s ruthless, she takes no shit, and she knows what she wants and goes for it.

She was a part of the journey into who I am today, someone with confidence in herself and who knows what she wants out of life.