My Top Five Quarantine Reads

I know it's been done a million times already, but bear with me. Since the COVID-19 pandemic doesn't show any signs of stopping, I decided I might as well add my own list of recommendations. For some of us, being in lockdown has given us more time to read than we've ever had before (I know one brave soul who got all the way through Edward Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - respect!). Others, especially health care workers, might be too busy to get through more than a few pages at bedtime. Either way, though, if there ever was a time when we need a fictional escape, it's now. To that end, here are five books I've read that I hope will encourage, comfort, or even just distract you from these difficult times.

1. Reached (Matched, Vol. 3) by Ally Condie

The reason I picked this one is obvious: it's about a dystopian future North America dealing with a pandemic. The descriptions of shortages, political unrest, illness, loneliness and fear sound very familiar, even though the book was written in 2012 (which, to this 30-year-old, feels like a lifetime ago). What stands out to me every time I read it, though, is the attention that Condie gives to the often-overlooked workers of a pandemic. The narrators of this story are a medic, a data analyst, and a patient. All three of them are portrayed as both flawed human beings and real heroes. (You may want to read the first two volumes of the Matched series, though, or the story could get confusing.)

2. Awaken (Digital School Vol. 1) by Katie Kacvinsky

Like the Matched series, this one hits the spot to an almost uncanny degree. Digital school is mandatory, parks are empty, coffee shops are going out of business, and a whole generation of teens is growing up agoraphobic. The in-universe explanation is terrorism, not a virus, but the climate of fear is the same, and to a certain extent, so is the solution. I'm not talking about car chases or hacking, obviously - both of which our heroes enthusiastically engage in - but the everyday things we can all do: go outside, talk to family and friends, find a cause, and appreciate the little things. Be safe, by all means, but don't let your fears overwhelm you. (Although, as someone who used to love coffee shops and hasn't visited one for months, I probably shouldn't talk.)

3. Partials (Partials, Vol. 1) by Dan Wells

If you find comfort in the idea that things could always get worse, this post-apocalyptic scenario makes our era look like Disneyland. Genocide, government-ordered pregnancies, and biological warfare are the least of it. Even this story isn't completely hopeless, though. When nurse Kira Walker sets out to find a cure for the virus infecting all her maternity ward patients, she learns that the solution might come from the genetically engineered super-soldiers who wiped out most of humanity in the first place. Can they work together despite a lifetime of hate? And even if they do, will anyone else listen? It's going to get worse before it gets better (especially in the sequels), but if you make it through, the ending is worth it.

4. Invictus by Ryan Graudin

If you'd rather forget the current situation entirely - or if you're a philosophical type who likes seeing things from a cosmic perspective - this book is for you. It's about time-traveling thieves who steal treasures that were lost in history, i.e. from the Titanic. Forget staying home: this crew can jump from Ancient Rome to Las Vegas to a high-tech future in a matter of seconds. Forget social distancing: it's five teenagers and their furry mascot on a very small ship. Add creative cursing, rainbow hair, a lovably eccentric family and the fate of the multiverse at stake, and you have a wild ride of a story that will leave you breathless.

5. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Just look at the title. No, but seriously, if you need a story about people reaching out to each other across every kind of distance - time, place, emotion, memory - this is it. The protagonist, a university student named Marin, is so alone in the world that she has to spend Christmas in her dorm. Her friend Mabel, the last remaining connection to her past, is coming to see her, but they haven't spoken in a year and Marin is terrified of the buried memories the visit might unearth. Is it worth ending her isolation if it means exposing the worst parts of herself? I won't spoil it for you, but I can tell you there were happy tears involved. Nothing is perfect, but sometimes being okay is all we need.

What did you think? Do you have any recommendations for me? Please let me know in the comment section.

Take care!