Book Suggestions for Quarantine
Photo by Sarah Gerovac
Quarantine leaves us all feeling bored sometimes. When I don't have anything else to do, I watch Netflix or scroll through social media for long periods of time. There’s nothing wrong with it, especially when we want to relax and unwind. But, there are also times that I want to do something a little more productive.
Reading is a good way to pass the time, and thanks to Hamilton’s Overdrive, which is accessible through Home Base, there are books that you can read for free even if you can’t go to a library or don’t want to pay to read them online. To access Overdrive, you can click on the Library Catalog link on Home Base, not the actual link called Overdrive, and click on the link to Overdrive that shows up from that Library Catalog’s Hamilton High School page. Here are a few suggestions of books and genres that I’ve put together for some quarantine reading.
Basically anything by Kurt Vonnegut. I got a few of these from a bookstore before quarantine started, such as Welcome to the Monkey House, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse-Five (which is available on Hamilton’s Overdrive). I honestly recommend these books for everyone because they’re well written, incredibly interesting, and have so many unique messages. These are some of the most creative books I’ve ever read. For example, reading Welcome to the Monkey House is fun because it is full of short stories that don’t take that long to read but all make you think. Vonnegut’s stories incorporate lots of elements with science fiction and dystopias, and delve into really weird elements of society that are super creatively written and really intriguing to read.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray. This dark comedy is about a high schooler who is finding satisfaction and adventure in his life while “his life is slowly drained out of him by mad cow disease” (Goodreads). This book has been recommended to me by people and websites alike as a good read for quarantine, and according to “14 Good Books to Read While You’re Under Coronavirus Quarantine,” this book is part of a list that offers “hope and humor,” which are definitely needed during the pandemic. Also, it’s in Overdrive!
Mystery books. I’m just suggesting this topic as a whole because I think that this is always a good way to get super involved in a story for a bit of time and ignore everything else if you’re feeling bored. I guess specifically I’ve always liked Agatha Christie books, and have read a few of her famous ones like And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express over quarantine. For me, mysteries are good for capturing my interest long enough that I forget that I’m bored or need to get my mind off something.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. This book’s plot centers around character Anna’s affair with a cavalry officer and forces them to flee to Italy before returning to Russia and follows the couple as their lives continue to fall apart. According to Goodreads, this book is, “acclaimed by many as the world’s greatest novel.” It’s very long, but reading this novel is certainly a good quarantine activity to get your mind off of the world, even if you don’t read the entire novel.
This isn’t a suggestion for a specific book or genre, but I’m putting it here anyway: read a book that you loved when you were younger. I’ve had random days during quarantine where I’ve felt super nostalgic, and I’ve spent hours watching movies that I loved when I was a kid. So, I think it could be fun to do the same thing with books. It doesn’t even have to be a super deep book or something that changed your life. I loved the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series when I was younger, and I would definitely read them again. Or you could read your favorite Roald Dahl book, Narnia, or Harry Potter. Basically, I suggest reading for nostalgia.
Stephen King novels. I don’t read horror all that often, and I wouldn’t recommend reading them when you’re trying to fall asleep. However, books like The Shining are really good and very difficult to put down. If you want something to capture your attention for a while and get your mind off everything that’s going right now. Also, Stephen King is famous enough that he has multiple books available to read on Overdrive.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. This book is a comedy, and tells a story about the birth of Satan’s son and the End Times. Additionally, this novel has been made into a TV series! I saw this book recommended many times specifically for reading during quarantine, and a novel about the End seems like an entertaining and fitting choice for this pandemic. It’s also available on Overdrive, and I highly suggest gifting your quarantine experience with this novel.
Quarantine is a great time to try picking up a book even if you’re normally not an avid reader. I encourage you to try out one of the choices listed here, or even to look into more options to find a book that would really fit your interests. There’s plenty of books out there, so happy reading!
