Much of our country has gone into quarantine, or lock-down, as a way to prevent this COVID-19 virus from spreading. I’m sure you all are just as sick of hearing about it as I am, but unfortunately, it’s our reality. The best thing we can do is to do our part to help stop the spread of the virus and then work our butts off to get this country running like normal again.

And of course some prayers for our land and other nations never hurt anyone.

Still, being on lock-down can drive you a bit crazy after a while. Though there are a lot of us who are working from home or now schooling from home, we still need breaks once in a while. Of course, as bookworms, we’re going to turn to our books in our free time as usual. So here are a few of my own recommendations for books to read while in lock-down mode.

10 Books to Read in Quarantine

1. The Printed Letter Bookshop – Katherine Reay

This was a great book about new beginnings and friendships that will uplift your spirits by the end. It’s definitely a good fit for this situation we’re all in.

2. Love & Luck – Jenna Evans Welch

I just reread this one and it was fun to visit Ireland again with Addie as she navigates her own heartbreak from a summer romance, while also trying to repair her broken relationship with her brother – the best friend who’s always been there for her.

3. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell

Being on lock-down and working from home is the perfect time to tackle a big novel like this one. I’m definitely going to be tackling this one myself.

4. The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1) – Chris Colfer

Why not escape this reality into the land of your favorite fairy tales. Twins Alex and Connor find themselves sucked into their grandmother’s old book of these beloved tales and go on an adventure you have to read to believe! Of course, once you start this one you’ll end up reading the rest of the twins’ story in books two through six.

5. Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love

This collection of stories will renew your love for cooking and well, love! Though mostly cooking and food. I found myself missing my childhood of growing up in the restaurant my mom worked at, which honestly, would fit into this little collection if I ever decided to write it in a fictional tale.

6. Emergency Contact – Mary H.K. Choi

Penny and Sam are the original ‘social distancing’ friends, but not for health reasons. It’s more or less to avoid all that awkwardness of talking about your innermost thoughts and feelings to someone without the in-person reactions or judgment. But as they continue to talk, they find that just texting might not be enough.

7. Harry Potter – J.K. Rowling

Honestly, any of the books will do. You probably know them all by heart anyway. I personally love revisiting the first one and being reintroduced to Hogwarts with Harry all over again. It throws me right back to my childhood when I read the books for the first time.

8. Top 8 – Katie Finn

A cute little high school mystery to find out who a hacker is that ruined the social media profile of Madison McDonald. It’s a story that’ll prove who her true friends are and maybe her enemies aren’t as bad as she thought they were. It’ll also take you back to the late 2000s when Razr phones were the hottest thing around!

9. The Vanishing Girl (a Daphne and Velma mystery) – Josephine Ruby

Another book I’m currently reading (with a friend) that brings you back to the Scooby-Doo universe. Follow teenage Velma and Daphne, former best friends/now enemies, as they have to team up to find out why one of their classmates suddenly disappears without a trace.

10. Standing By – Tabitha G. Kelly

This is a fun contemporary novel for young adults that I personally feel is enjoyable for all ages. The characters are so relatable and it’s definitely on the lighthearted side of everything that’s going on now. It’ll get you an escape that isn’t fantasy (in case you’re not one for that genre).

Hopefully these will give you the reading bug, even if you don’t choose these particular ones right now. It’s hard, but we need to stay calm in this time and get through it together. That’s the only way it will happen. So pick up a book, let your anxiety level decrease, and enjoy a good story while we practice our social-distancing.

Stay healthy and safe everyone!