Top 10 Quarantine Reads
While quarantine has thrown a wrench into most of my summer travel plans, it has also given me something that I cherish almost as much—and that’s time.
This week, California has seen a massive heat wave, making most people either shelter inside their air-conditioned homes or flee to the beaches. Since my house lacks the former amenity, I usually find myself in the latter camp. That, or sprawled out in our backyard hammock under the shade of a palm tree—either way, usually reading a book. In fact, I’ve found myself turning to books more often these days, and I don’t think it’s simply a matter of having more time on my hands.
In The Tao of Travel, Paul Theroux wrote, “[As a child] Elsewhere was the place I wanted to be. Too young to go, I read about elsewheres, fantasizing about my freedom. Books were my road. And then, when I was old enough to go, the roads I traveled became the obsessive subject in my own books. Eventually I saw that the most passionate travelers have always also been passionate readers and writers.”
We find ourselves in a strange time right now when, for many around the world, travel is at a standstill. Like Paul Theroux, I’m finding an alternative way to travel—that is, through books. I figure, if I can’t fly somewhere to experience the new, I’ll create it in my mind. After all, travel is about exploring a place that feels unfamiliar and foreign, it’s about shaking up routine for something that is different and stimulating. Reading is simply travel by another name—it’s exploration in the mind.
Quarantine looks like it’s here to stay for a while, so we might as well get comfortable, grab a good book, and travel the best way we know how for the time being. If you’re looking for some good recommendations, here’s a list to get you started.
Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Untamed, Glennon Doyle
Educated: A Memoir, Tera Westover
Becoming, Michelle Obama
City of Thieves, David Benioff
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Mark Manson
Shoe Dog, Phil Knight