Books aren’t just pages that you flip through when you have nothing better to do. During this quarantine period, especially, books can help you to clarify your life goals, work through any emotional problems that you may be having, and quarantine reading may even help you turn the page to begin a new, healthier, more fulfilling chapter.
Reading can help you understand people a lot better. Literary works work like pieces of consciousness that can pass from the author’s mind to the readers so that the reader can make the stories shared their own.
Books are kind of like moral libraries that help you safely test out your feelings about particular issues or even people (we are thinking about you annoying Dave from the office). And spending time with the characters of your favorite book as you relax in a beach bed or in your reading nook isn’t just mere escapism. Reading these books may actually go a long way in boosting your emotional intelligence.
During these quarantine times, reading can be a solace- and not only because it is comforting but also because it can help you cope with the enormous task that we’ve been placed with as the human race.
So if you are looking for an escape, here are 5 books that you should read during the quarantine:
Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret
If you are a parent of little girls, then you will definitely want to give this book a read. This book gives a realistic take on what it is to be a little girl in 6th grade (roughly 12 years old). If you are a parent trying to understand the world that your tween lives in, this book could be illuminating.
There is a lot of talk about boys in this book (it’s to be expected), bras, periods and of course teenage body issues. Although this book was published in the 70s, it is still very relatable for little girls and parents alike.
The protagonist, honest Margaret is such a significant and relatable character- she worries about fitting in and being normal. So, if you had such anxieties growing up, this quarantine reading will put you in a reflective mood so that you can begin to understand yourself at a whole new level.
If I had your Face
If I had your Face doesn’t just make for impressive quarantine reading, but it is also one that’s current and has an immediate effect. This novel by Frances Cha is ideal for this quarantine period particularly as racism against Asians has been at an all-time high all over the world since the onset of Coronavirus.
If I had your Face is based on not just one but four young Korean women living in the same apartment building in Seoul. Kyuri works in one of the city’s VIP salons and she’s undergone numerous cosmetic surgeries in the hunt for conformist Korean beauty. Ara, on the other hand, is a mysterious mute hairdresser with a long and complicated past; she also extremely obsessed with a K-pop star.
Miho is an ambitious artist who finds herself in a relationship with a well-heeled heir while Wonna is a newly married woman struggling to keep her marriage alive, all while trying to have a baby amid financial hardships. With characters like these that are so complex and so beautifully crafted, once they’ve captured you and drawn you into their world, you’ll find it impossible to leave.
The Selection Novella series
If you are looking to completely shut out the world and escape, consider delving into the dystopian fantasy of the Selection Novella series. Perfect for anyone that loved The Hunger Games, the pages of this book are adventure-filled at every turn.
The first 3 series follows the story of an American singer that’s given the chance to compete for the most eligible bachelor by the name of Prince Maxon. The competition is tough on her as she is forced to reevaluate her past relationships in a society with a complex caste system.
The collection has 5 books in total; the last 2 follow the singer’s daughter. As such, if you have been looking for a book to transport you to an alternate universe, this it.
Evvie Drake starts over
Evvie Drake’s (no relation to Drake the well-known rapper) husband dies and she takes in a ‘special friend’ to help her cope with her grief in her townhouse in Maine. Her special friend, Dean, is also going through his own crisis. As a former MLB player, Dean Tenney has lost his ability to play.
This novel follows their journey together as they try to figure their lives out. Though it sounds like it has a sad premise, it actually reads like a warm cup of cocoa on a cold day. So you’ll want to snuggle up on your bed or couch for this one.
The Children of Men
Perfect for the pandemic quarantine reading, the Children of Men is set in 2021 Britain, which is just a year away from now. During this time, the world is inundated by tyranny and infertility. The United Kingdom is under dictatorial rule. The dictator and his autocratic council rule mercilessly, which has bred fear especially among the elderly who are dispensable.
The novel covers the story of the 2 dissenting factions that are fighting for power. This book was such a great hit when it was released in 1992 that it inspired a film adaptation directed by famous Alfonso Cuaron. If the box office hit doesn’t convince you to get this book, you should also know that it was this book was included in CoolThingsChicago’s best dystopian books to read in 2020.
Final Thoughts
There has been a lot of discussions floating around about how much we all need to reset during these challenging pandemic times. Books can help you do just that. Books can help to distract you when you’re bored, console you when the weight of the pandemic has got you down, and make you laugh when you need your funny bone tickled.
A great book can transport you to faraway worlds and they can remind you that you are not alone. Above all, quarantine reading will help you pass time, which you are in no short supply of. The world is not as we knew it but books are still the same- full of wonder and endless possibilities.
