Bookish
Boredom Busters
For
people in Quarantine, Lock Downs, and other forms of confinement
because of world pandemics!
Might
I suggest some reads worthy of your time as you while away the days
at home……………..Get your kindle charged up or visit your
favorite on-line bookseller to make the best of it during the
Covid-19 lock downs. Escape into a good book to help your days be
more bearable and enjoyable. Introverts and bookworms are in their
element right now! I am listing only titles and authors that I have
some experience with and/or have read myself for these
recommendations. Reading together out loud, and listening to books via CD or electronically has always been something we enjoy as a family on long car trips or as cherished family time as well. My children used to fall asleep listening to the Chronicles of Narnia being read to them by Mom in the hallway.
The
genre that gets a big chunk of my reading time is Fantasy
and Science Fiction,
so here goes with the suggestions of authors and titles: (in no
particular order).
Jim
Butcher- Dresden Files series, featuring scrappy wizard Harry
Dresden, book 1- “Storm Front”, various story collections
(including some novellas with Bigfoot) and the Codex Alera Series,
Cinder Spire series.
Brandon
Sanderson- plenty of books and series to choose from including the
Stormlight Archive, which starts with “The Way of Kings”.
Kat
Richardson- Greywalker Series, set in the Seattle area, first book is
“Greywalker”.
Patrick
Rothfuss- Kingkiller Chronicles- It starts with “The Name of the
Wind”, the series is as yet unfinished but good enough to start
reading in spite of that.
Carrie
Vaughn- a variety of different series, of which the Kitty Norville
werewolf series is notable. First book “Kitty and the Midnight
Hour”.
Robert
Jordan- “Wheel of Time” series.
Anne
McCaffrey- “Dragon Riders of Pern” series.
Marion
Zimmer Bradley (editor and author) of “Sword and Sorceress”
series which include a wide variety of tales featuring mostly female
characters, and many future authors got started in the fantasy genre
here. (26 volumes)
Andre
Norton- classic Sci Fi and Fantasy.
James
S.A. Corey- “The Expanse” series.
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| The Expanse Series |
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Kevin
Hearne- “Iron Druid” Series.
Candace
J. Thomas- “Vivatera” Series and more.
T.
Niven- “The Star of Ashor”.
Erin
Morgenstern- “The Night Circus”.
Ray
Bradbury (several works) including “Fahrenheit 451”.
Connie
Willis (several works) Time travel, the black death, WWII
Neal
Stephenson (several) Dodo, Snowcrash, etc.
Ransom
Riggs- “Peculiar Children” series, with unique photography
included.
Garth
Nix- Sabriel and others
Patricia
A. McKillip
J.K.
Rowling- “Harry Potter” books
J R.R.
Tolkien- “Hobbit, Lord of the Rings”
Orson
Scott Card- “Ender’s Game” series and others
“Cosy”
Type Mysteries
Paige
Shelton- Scottish Bookstore Mysteries starts with “Of Books and
Bagpipes”.
Dangerous
Type Mysteries starts with “To Helvetica and Back”.
Alice
Kimberly (Cleo Coyle) - “The Ghost and…” series. Sometimes over
the top but good for escapism.
Lillian
Braun- “The Cat Who …” series.
M. C.
Beaton- Hamish Mac Beth (Scottish Highland Constable) Mysteries,
“Death of a …” series. (I love the character of Hamish, and the
series is packs quite a punch of wit, as well.)
Alexander
McCall Smith- “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” “Isabel
Dalhousie” books, “Professor Von Iglefeld”, and so on.
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| No. 1 Ladies Detective series books |
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Most
cozy-type books can get tiresome after a while because they seem to
follow a similar pattern and story line, but they are good
escapist/light reading endeavors that don’t require as much
commitment as a long fantasy series with 1000 pages each, a la
Brandon Sanderson style, and you can get through them in a few days
of reading time.
Thriller/Action/Other
Douglas
Preston and Lincoln Child- Many collaborations between this
heavyweight author duo, and also many offerings by each author
separately, as well as together. Of note: The “Agent Pendergast”
Series, of which there are at least 21 volumes, and also various spin
off works featuring characters from the Pendergast books, such as
those starring archaeologist Nora Kelly. The first Pendergast book
is “Relic”. (Be prepared for a bit of gore in these, as the
subject is usually unsolved murders being investigated by the FBI,
but Agent Pendergast is a very interesting, larger than life
character.)
Richard
Preston- “Hot Zone” and “Demon in the Freezer”, etc. if you
want more pandemic stuff. (Brother of Douglas Preston, already
mentioned.)
Elizabeth
Kostova- “The Historian”, “The Shadow Land”
Robin
Sloan- “Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore” and “Sourdough” for
the foodie in you.
Susan
Vreeland- A fictional account loosely based on the life of painter
Vermeer, “Girl in Hyacinth Blue”.
Lisa
Wingate- A fictional account based on a real life baby
seller/adoption story in Great Depression times “Before We Were
Yours”.
Jean
Plaidy- all kinds of Historical fiction books, from the Medici's to
the Borgia's to Mary Queen of Scots, Henry the Eighth, and the War of
the Roses (written in the 70's).
M.L.
Steadman- “The Light Between Oceans”.
Stephen
R. Lawhead
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| A variety of books by author Stephen R. Lawhead |
Non
Fiction/Biography/Science Nerd/Historical
Sam
Kean- “The Violinist's Thumb”, “The Disappearing Spoon”
Everyday chemistry, antedotes.
Malcolm
Gladwell- several
Penny
Le Couteur- “Napoleon's Buttons”
William
Rosen- “Justinian's Flea”
Carl
Zimmer- “Parasite Rex”
David
Quammen- “Spillover”, very timely considering we are facing a
“Bat” flu.
Dean
King- “Skeletons on the Zahara”
David
Gran- “The Lost City of Z”
Wasik
and Murphy- “Rabid: A cultural History of Rabies”
Douglas
Preston- “Lost City of the Monkey God”, “Dinosaurs in the
Attic”, and others.
Keith
Richards- “Life”. Need I say more?
Pat
Benatar- “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”
Mark
Kurlansky- “Salt” is good (but “Milk” is a disappointment).
Thomas
Mueller- “Extra Virgin” all about the olive oil industry,
surprisingly interesting
Sara
Beth's Bakery- learn to cook something new!
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| The life story by iconic Rolling Stones song writer and guitarist, Keith Richards. |
Classics
and Utopian Literature (if your brain can take it)
J.S.
Le Fanu- classic gothic and ghost stories (many free on kindle for
him and other classic authors)
Charles
Dickens
Arthur
Conan Doyle- Sherlock Holmes and lots of other good stuff, really!
Jules
Verne
H.G.
Wells
Rudyard
Kipling
H
Ryder Haggard- “King Solomon's Mines”
George
Orwell- “1984” “Animal Farm”
William
Golding- “Lord of the Flies”
Aldous
Huxley- “Brave New World”
Ayn
Rand- “The Fountainhead” and others
Don't
forget to feed your spirit and soul as
well, in these trying times. Fill your head with something positive
and revive your hope by reading some uplifting and inspiring things.
I turn to the scriptures, the Holy Bible and other religious writings
but will not make a list because of the personal nature of it. I
will only add that “The Lost Gospel Q; The sayings of Jesus”, and
“The Book of Mormon” (read with an open mind), have also been
inspirational to me.
Bash boredom with some fun and easy art and creative endeavors,
pick up a few adult coloring books, some new colored pencils, jelly
roll pens or doodle markers, and one of the entertaining “Wreck
This Journal” books by Keri Smith (available in different languages, too). All are available online.
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| A page from my own "Wreck this journal", the page instructs you to -make a mess and clean it up-.Just 'google' wreck this journal ideas and you will be amazed and inspired. |
