Coronavirus self-isolation: Best books to read while at home
Self-isolation from coronavirus gives bookworms a chance to start a new book — or catch up on one on your bucket list. These are some of the best books to read.
Books
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Are you one of those people who feels they should read more but just don’t have the capacity?
This is your chance to turn a new page (yes, we went there).
Mindful that everyone will likely be spending more time at home, we asked our mates at the Sunday Book Clubfor a list of recommendations for all tastes.
We hope you enjoy — and if you’d like any more tips, join the Sunday Book Club’s Facebook group.
CALM THE FARM
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. The original and best uplit book- there is a reason it’s a bestseller! Eleanor has learned how to survive – but not how to live. Her life is carefully timetabled but one simple act of kindness will change everything. Not all change is bad and surely any change is better than … fine?
Parlour Games For Modern Families by Myfanwy Jones and Spiri Tsintziras. A trip down memory lane or for some a first-time experience, but perfect for these times: from rough and tumble to cards to wordplay, a compendium of games from yesteryear that will have the whole housebound family laughing.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. The book that started a new wave of travel writing, based on Brit Mayle’s move to France. Full of sunshine, wine, witty observations and wonderful food, books like this one — and its sequels — are never more needed than now.
Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom. Remember when colouring in was a craze? Well it’s back! Whether working from home or just needing a big dose of Mindfulness, Millie Marotta is one of the best.
Everything is F*cked: a Book About Hope by Mark Manson. Manson turns his gaze to the endless calamities taking place in the world around us. Drawing from the pool of psychological research, as well as the timeless wisdom of philosophers such as Plato, Nietzsche, and Tom Waits, he openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom — and even of hope itself.
ENERGY BOOSTERS
Sword of Kings by Bernard Cornwell. Sword-swinging Saxon warlord Uhtred of Bebbanburg returns in another fast-paced outing by Cornwell, Britain’s king of historical fiction. The dry-witted warrior, of The Last Kingdom TV fame, is dragged into a vicious internal power struggle in a twisting plot that appeals to both male and female lovers of big characters and epic backdrops.
Grown Ups by Marian Keyes. Irish fave Keyes is back with a brand-spanking-new bestseller that is joyful, sparkling and hopeful. Keyes brings her trademark wit to this taut and zeitgeisty family drama. Just what the world needs now.
Not a Diet Book by James Smith. Instagram-friendly health guru James Smith is armed with every tool you’ll ever need to achieve incredible results – from dieting, training and staying in shape to identifying the fads, cons and nonsense that get in the way of genuine lasting progress. You have never seen anything like James Smith before!
Woman in the Window by AJ Finn. One of the best-selling thrillers of recent times and very relevant to today. Anna Fox suffers from agoraphobia and has not left her home for months. Her window is her only outlet onto the world. One night she witnesses a murder from this window, or did she? This is a clever retelling of the Hitchcock classic Rear Window.
Banking Bad by Adele Ferguson. In this riveting account, Adele Ferguson tells the full story of what went wrong with our financial institutions and regulators; then looks at the outcomes of the royal commission and whereto from here. It’s full of scandal, fraud, questionable practices and relationships — a real eye-opener.
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CATCH UP
The Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel The compelling story of Thomas Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII and the political machinations and dangerous intrigue required for Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn, told dazzlingly. Wolf Hall is the first in the trilogy — followed by Bring Up The Bodies and the only-just-published The Mirror and the Light.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The original page-turning masterpiece of a mystery thriller. The Louvre, an albino Catholic monk, the search for the Holy Grail, a Harvard professor, the Fibonacci sequence, a cryptographer, a safe-deposit box, a cryptex, a message written on papyrus, the tomb of Isaac Newton, Opus Dei and a conspiracy to hide the truth about Mary Magdalene. Have I left anything out?
A Song of Ice and Fire and the Game of Thrones series by George RR Martin. Now that the TV show of Game of Thrones has finished, the pressure is off. Now is the time to start the book series — beginning with Game of Thrones there are five juicy books to keep you very occupied: Winter is Coming!
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. This international best-selling novel has become an instant Australian classic — loved by readers, critically acclaimed and now being made into a television series and a stage play. But for anyone out there who hasn’t yet read the story of Eli Bell, as the man says, “Do yourself a favour” and get into the most exhilarating, enjoyable book you’ll read all year.
Cloud Street by Tim Winton. Australia’s own War and Peace but much easier to read – and now is the time. Winton’s breakthrough 1991 novel is unputdownable. Families Pickles and Lamb are fated together under the same crumbling roof in 1940s Perth and must learn how to live peaceably side-by-side while the country bunkers down against a foreign threat.
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NOSTALGIA TRIP
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. These books have enchanted millions of readers over the last fifty years and the magical events and characters have left many a lasting memory for adults and children alike. You may remember reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and there are six other books in the series to discover.
The Matilda Saga by Jackie French. Starting with A Waltz for Matilda, this is the story of our country, and a love song to our land, told by the strong women who forged a nation. Read and remember our ability to come together in times of true hardship and support one another — and there are nine fabulous books in the series. What a treat.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. This is comfort reading at its best – an enchanting entertainment that was written in the 1940s but still feels fresh and sparkling with every re-read, and features, according to JK Rowling, “one of the most charismatic narrators I’ve ever met”. It’s the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her extraordinary family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Be prepared to be swept away.
The Land Before Avocado, by Richard Glover. “It was simpler time”. “We had more fun back then”. “Everyone could afford a house”. There’s plenty of nostalgia right now for the Australia of the past, but what was it really like? In this quite hilarious trip into Australia of the 1960s and 1970s looks at what we’ve lost and what we’ve gained.
Pretty much any Mills & Boon novel, by various authors. Unusual choice perhaps, but there’s a reason these have been escapist favourites for decades. Soar to exotic locations and be swept away by a passionate hero; from an Italian billionaire, via a mysterious sheik to a rugged cowboy. And the best thing is that you’re guaranteed a “happily ever after”.
Originally published as Coronavirus self-isolation: Best books to read while at home