10 Books To Keep You Entertained During Quarantine Written
By Lily Cassida
Everyone needs a way to keep themselves entertained during the COVID-19 lockdown, and reading has definitely helped to keep me busy. No, it may not be learning a foreign language, or developing a newfound love for yoga, but books can help you escape to any place at any time. I’m recommending 10 books that have left me wanting to read them all over again, and are perfect for a quarantine read.
1. Me and Earl And The Dying Girl Jesse Andrews Welcome to the sarcastic, yet slightly offensive version of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Loner Greg and his fellow filmmaker friend Earl befriend Rachel Kushner, a schoolmate who is sick with Leukemia. Andrews will have you sobbing relentlessly and laughing obnoxiously with this absolutely underrated tale of socially awkward friendships.
2. Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction David Sheff Sheff shares the heart aching and relentless journey he went through with his family over the course of his son’s troubling drug addiction. This #1 New York Times Bestseller does nothing short of fully immersing you into a complicated tale filled with wisdom and unconditional love.
3. I’ll Be Gone In The Dark Michelle McNamara The late McNamara will keep you up at night with the very true story of the Golden State Killer; a serial rapist and murderer who terrorized California from the 1970s into the mid 80s. The work and dedication McNamara has to solving this case will impress you all by itself.
4. The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan Four mothers share stories from their childhoods in pre World War II China to their immigration to America. Their four daughters learn from their mothers’ tales as they encounter their own difficulties in life. The Joy Luck Club encourages strong, female independence and reminds you to thank your own mother.
5. Moxie Jennifer Mathieu Every teenage girl needs to read Moxie once in her life. Vivian Carter, a teen in a small Texas football town, decides to make a change not only for herself, but for the other girls at her school. Mathieu describes what it’s like to experience injustice and stand up for what is right, even when it feels like everyone’s against you.
6. Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid Loosely based on the infamously dramatic Fleetwood Mac, Daisy Jones & The Six shows the “true” and intimate story about a 1970s rock band that skyrockets into fame. The story of Daisy Jones, a talented and strong-headed vocalist, and the band she joins is filled with unforgettable characters and raw emotion that is hard to come by.
7. Know My Name: A Memoir Chanel Miller Formerly only known as Emily Doe, Chanel Miller talks about the aftermath of the time she was raped in January of 2015. She writes about the trauma of her sexual assault and how People v. Turner, the criminal case against her rapist, Stanford student Brock Turner, impacted her life. In her memoir, Miller is able to reclaim her identity and further proves that the justice system is set up to fail victims. Her story will move you with her resilience and extraordinary words.
8. The Nightingale Kristin Hannah Two sisters risk their lives to save Jewish children and allied pilots from the wrath of unforgiving Nazis in World War II-era France. Kristin Hannah will make you fall in love with these extremely intelligent and strong women, along with a menagerie of other characters. The Nightingale remains one of the best historical fiction pieces I have ever read.
9. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil John Berendt Berendt describes the intriguing ensemble of people he meets while living in Savannah, Georgia during a peculiar murder trial. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil takes the southern gothic genre to a new level as he describes the unique culture and inhabitants that make the city so distinct.
10. Women Talking Miriam Towes Women Talking tells the story of eight women who inhabit a Mennonite colony in Bolivia. With the help of a former member, they must decide if they should stay or escape their remote village after a series of sexually violating attacks occur involving local girls and women. Based on true events, Towes tells a story that everyone must hear, a story that could have been pulled from The Handmaid’s Tale.
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