WLW Quarantine Books
Everyone and their grandma has perused a quarantine book list, I’m sure. I’m here to bring you an IMPECABLE list of books, affectionately named the Wild Like Wind Quarantine Books. Why is this the list you should actually fill your Bookshop cart with and share with all your friends?
Because these books will transport you to another world while providing an empathetic hug for the current state of life. Right now reading about destressing seems laughable when every day has a new disaster. History books make me depressed as I read and think, what better times. What we need right now are some literary adventures. To transport ourselves to other worlds with problems removed from our own.
Of my own accord, I encourage you to buy books from Bookshop. This is something small we can do to save the treasure troves that are independent bookstores. Because if bookstores die with COVID-19, that will just be the worst.
Empathy for feeling trapped…
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - I have read this YA novel three times and passed it along to a handful of friends. This modern-day Rapunzel story captivated me. With actual surprising plot twists, I was hooked. A teenage girl with a disease forcing her to stay inside falls for the new neighbor boy through her window. We can all dream, right?
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - Dear, dear Ann is my literary idol. Her stories pull you into another place and time, with rich characters and seemingly unbelievable scenarios that become believable. In Bel Canto, an opera star, businessman, teenage girl, and translator all converge to form a life within the confines of a politician’s house when they are held hostage. You will be immersed in these characters lives, a big complex life all within one building.
Escape to another world…
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North - In this fantastical book, Harry August repeats his life, dying and coming back as a child again and again but with knowledge of his previous lives. As with every troubled, fatherless child, Harry is given a great task as his number of revivals dwindle. The fate of the world is relying on his unique existence to make things right. I’ll always keep this story close.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Library by Robin Sloan - I found this book at Bookworks, my favorite independent bookstore/coffee shop in all the lands, tucked in the multitude of ‘S’ last name fiction authors. It was the only copy on the shelf; I seem to be drawn to books of this nature. The story of Mr. Penumbra is another fantastical adventure marrying real life with a magical underworld, this time originating in a bookstore.
Travel the world from your couch…
At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider - If I ever have children, I dream of living life like Tsh. Abandoning convention, she and her husband traveled with their kids around the world for a school year. While documenting their adventures, she also explores her own self-discovery. Some of my favorite places are in these pages, places I hope to see soon. Travel the globe from your comfy quarnancouch with this book.
Love Africa by Jeffrey Gettleman - My favorite continent explored through the eyes of Pulitzer journalist Jeffrey Gettleman gives context to the current plight of poverty and terrorism in Africa. Stories of Africa are often ignored, and this narrative of the last thirty or so years of African history alongside a writer’s adventures is informative while keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Learn about development, the world is going to need a lot more understanding of these topics...
The Geopolitics of Emotion by Dominique Moisi - This was my favorite book from grad school and is accessible enough as a casual read. It is a fascinating look into how emotions shape cultures and cultures shape emotions. From the Middle East to Asia and the West, fear, hate, and hope are explored as motivating how countries interact within their borders and with the rest of the world. This is an insightful and underutilized lense for international relations.
Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus - Yunus founded Grameen Bank, a micro-lending organization flipping normal narratives on their heads by believing the poor, with a little education and a small amount of money, can build a better future for themselves. Stories of the success of Yunus’ model range from South Asia to the Mid-West of the US.
Remember, you can do big, good things…
There I Am by Ruthie Lindsey - Ruthie's story resonates with anyone, as the human experience inherently comes with hopelessness. Ruthie's story provides comfort that even in the darkest of days, in the darkest of seasons, there is hope. Navigating through physical and emotional trauma, Ruthie gives a stunningly honest account of her life. "There I Am" does what any great story does, it leaves you better at the end than when you began on page one. [SUPPORT HER, her book tour got canceled because of COVID-19]
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert - The theory Liz Gilbert poses in Big Magic is something I have witnessed many times in the last few years. I’m a believer in this creative energy pulsing in us all and Gilbert captures it in a book that feels like a guidebook to honest creative pursuits. If you’ve ever felt you had an idea and didn’t know what to do with it, read this book.
Support independent bookstores by buying from my Bookshop list, it has all of these titled already neatly organized for you.
