now that so many of us are social distancing and self-isolating, we have a lot more free time on our hands. the good news is, that means we can read more! i am a huge book nerd (i was an english lit major and try to read at least two books a month). so i’ve decided to put together a list of the best books to read while we’re stuck at home. i’ve included a wide spectrum of books from various genres, so whether you’re looking for a suspenseful page-turner or a moving saga, i’ve got you covered. all you need to escape today’s unsettling reality is to grab yourself a glass (or bottle – no one’s judging) of wine, settle in with a good book and you’ll be transported to another time and place. (above image credit: jaqueline mikuta)
ps: if you want to snag a new book for just $5, use this link and choose from some of the best books out right now!
best literary fiction books (books that are beautifully written and really make you think about the human consciousness):
1. the far field – madhuri vijay
the strength of this book is in vijay’s evocative prose. i have not been so drawn into a novel based on the magnetic writing alone since virginia woolf. it’s also a fascinating look into hindu-muslim tensions in kashmir through the eyes of a privileged, yet troubled young woman from bangalore. you’ll be transported to the mountainous lands of kashmir, getting glimpses into a wild and beautiful, yet complicated place.
2. there there – tommy orange
this is a beautiful, painful, poignant novel about the lives of urban native americans. it intertwines the present with a historical sense of outrage towards the past and how america treated its native peoples, while investigating what cultural inheritance means and how it influences the sense of self.
3. on earth we’re briefly gorgeous – ocean vuong
this novel is very poetic both in language and structure, moving associatively from memory to memory in stream of consciousness style. it takes form in a letter from a son to his illiterate vietnamese mother, exploring themes such as race, class, trauma, and identity.
bonus (on my to read list + highly rated/recommended):
best mystery/suspense books (books that are un-put-downable):
1. the woman in the window – a.j. flynn
about a reclusive woman who spends a lot of time spying on her neighbors and witnesses something horrific, but there are many twists and turns in this novel that make it an exciting page-turner that you won’t want to put down.
2. the silent patient – alex michaelides
quick take: a therapist unravels the mind of a shattered woman… who may or may not be a murderer. just finished this one and read it in a couple of days. it’s an interesting thriller that will get your mind off the current situation. most of the action happens in the second half of the book, so stick with it even though the first half is a bit slow/tedious. the ending is worth it. rated the #1 mystery/thriller book of 2019 on goodreads!
3. the guardians – john grisham
the plotting is superb, the characters engaging, and the twists and turns plentiful and shocking; this is definitely up there with his most accomplished books in my opinion.
bonus (on my to read list + highly rated/recommended):
best coming-of-age novels (books that make you care about the journey of the main character):
1. where the crawdad’s sing – delia owens
you can’t help but find yourself rooting for kya clarke, the protagonist, in this coming-of-age, murder mystery. she is peculiar, inspiring, and loveable. her resiliency and strength in the face of profound loneliness, desperation, and prejudice is moving. plus, the murder mystery aspect only makes this book even more captivating. this book isn’t groundbreaking, but it is a a good read and i have yet to meet someone who didn’t enjoy it!
2. the heart’s invisible furies – john boyne
to be completely honest, this book was hard for me to read. so many people recommended it to me, but a quarter of the way in, i almost stopped reading it. i did end up finishing it and am really glad i did. it’s heartbreaking and disquieting; a coming-of-age epic saga, spanning generations, exposing atrocious human rights violations, while we also witness great irony, tragic errors in judgment, and all the messiness of life from the irish protagonist, cyril avery. if you’re looking for an epic saga that gets your heart invested in the characters and will keep you occupied for a while, this is the book for you!
bonus (on my to read list + highly rated/recommended):
best historical fiction books (books that take you back to a place and time):
1. a gentleman in moscow – amor towles
this book is filled with beautiful imagery, humor, and thought-provoking dialogue on the rise of communism in russia over a period of about 30 or so years, beginning in 1922. perhaps especially apt during our self-isolation period, as the main character is sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of his life. this book is an amazing story because it manages to be a little bit of everything. there’s fantastical romance, politics, espionage, parenthood, and poetry. the book is technically historical fiction, but you’d be just as accurate calling it a thriller or a love story. i never wanted it to end. one of my favorites of all time.
2. half of a yellow sun – chimamanda ngozi adichie
“with astonishing empathy and the effortless grace of a natural storyteller, adichie weaves together the lives of three characters swept up in the turbulence of the decade.” set during the nigerian-biafran civil war in the 1960’s, this is an important, but accessible post-colonial novel. adichie’s prose is evocative and adept with moments of wry humor alongside heart wrenching tragedy.
3. celestial bodies – jodkha alarthi (man booker international prize winner 2019)
while i enjoyed this book, it may not be for everyone. there are evocative moments that just stop you in your tracks and take your breath away, from heartbreaking to joyful, that remind us of our common humanity. however, it can feel a bit confusing at times. this is likely due to its ambitious stream of consciousness style, coupled with multiple narrators. sometimes i wondered if it flows better in its original language (i read the english translation from arabic). nonetheless, it is still a beautiful read that gives you an understanding of a rapidly changing oman; a country evolving from a traditional, slave-owning society into its complex present.
bonus (on my to read list + highly rated/recommended):
4. pachinko
best memoirs / autobiography (books that give you a new perspective):
1. educated – tara westover
born to isolated, survivalists in western idaho, westover doesn’t have access to an education. she ends up teaching herself, and going to college at byu. her quest for knowledge transforms her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to harvard and to cambridge. it sounds odd to say how beautifully written this is because we are not spared of the ugly details of what this family was about, but yet it is beautifully written. and witnessing westover’s discovery of both herself and the world is something, i (and bill gates) believe everyone will enjoy.
2. the girl who smiled beads – clemantine wamariya
“it was 1994, and in 100 days more than 800,000 people would be murdered in rwanda and millions more displaced. clemantine and her fifteen-year-old sister, claire, ran and spent the next six years wandering through seven african countries searching for safety.” intense, upsetting, sobering, inspiring, this story got under my skin in a big way. it’s a raw account of life as a refugee and one every person should read.
3. when breath becomes air – paul kalanithi
“at the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, paul kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.” i read this book not too long after my own father passed away from cancer, so it was particularly heartbreaking and beautiful all at once for me. what kalanithi gave me, that my dad was never able to, was how to face death. while my father refused to acknowledge his impending death, kalanithi comes face to face with his own mortality and engages so many of the questions that stem from this.
bonus (on my to read list + highly rated/recommended):
best fantasy/mythology books (books for when you want to escape the reality of our world – so basically perfect for right now):
1. circe – madeline miller
i read this book in two days. it is that good. utterly fascinating and compelling. the book cover says “an intoxicating tale of gods and heroes, magic and monsters, survival and transformation” and that it is. i can’t recommend this book enough.
2. song of achilles – madeline miller
once i read circe, i knew i had to read song of achilles. i was afraid it would let me down, since i loved circe so much, but it didn’t ( i may have even liked it more)! it’s very different but still beautifully written, enthralling and captivating. miller does an incredible job at humanizing her larger than life characters and making you fall in love with them.
3. gods of jade and shadow – silvia moreno-garcia
“the mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by mexican folklore.” what i especially loved is moreno-garcia’s refusal to offer easy solutions, or to cast any of her characters as completely good or evil. we come to understand everyone’s motives, and to feel sympathy for the devil (or at least the gods of xibalba). this is a delicious novel with mayan mythology seamlessly interwoven into a jazz age, mexican, love story adventure.
bonus (on my to read list + highly rated/recommended):
4. ninth house
two other books that have come highly recommended to me, but don’t necessarily fit in any of the categories above (or fit into many of them) are:
city of girls and daisy jones & the six
both highly rated, indulgent reads with strong female leads.
while i do include links to buy these books online, alternatively here’s a helpful article on how you can support your local bookstore during quarantine.
additionally, you can order your books from book of the month. they carry a lot of the titles i list above, including daisy jones & the six, circe, the woman in the window, the silent patient, and so many more. and you can get your first book for just $5! just click here to get the referral offer! i’ve been a member for over a year now, you don’t have to get a book every month, you can skip as many months as you want and only get a book when you feel like it. the prices for new books are much lower than anywhere else.
and that’s a wrap on read this there – quarantine edition. let me know in the comments below what are some great books you’ve read lately!