A Page Turning Pandemic

My Favorite Reads During Quarantine

Over the past five months, we’ve all been trying to find something to keep us from being bored all the time. For me, my time has been occupied by reading.

But what exactly have I been reading? Let’s find out. These are the top books that should fix the monotonous tone set by quarantine.  

The Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling)

Being isolated for an extended period can make us feel like we need to get out and see the world. Of course, we can’t quite do that yet; however, there is a fictional one awaiting us!! It would be foolish of me to assume that nobody reading this has ever heard of these books, but in case you haven’t, the seven books in this series cover the story of a young wizard named Harry Potter. On his eleventh birthday, Potter is informed that he’s the son of two of the most powerful wizards ever known, and he too has inhuman abilities of his own. He begins to attend Hogwarts, an English boarding school for young wizards, where he can uncover the mysteries of his parents’ deaths and this strange new world. If you are feeling lonely or claustrophobic, because of quarantine, then this is a great story to get yourself lost in or to revisit. It has a vast and interesting magical world to explore, a fantastic and fresh coming-of-age story, characters to get invested in, and a plot that will make you wish you could read faster. This series, timeless, classic, and age-friendly, features an admirable take on urban fantasy and will never go out of style.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)

Often considered to be a gothic horror classic, Oscar Wilde’s only novel usually flies under the radar. Written in 1891, it tells the story of a young man named Dorian Gray, who gets a portrait done of himself. After discovering that he will stay and look young while the picture itself ages and decays over time, the book focuses on his downward spiral throughout his life. The Picture of Dorian Gray is full of beautiful metaphors and references that you will have to discover for yourself, and while Wilde’s flowery way of writing may not be to everyone’s taste, this is a competent novel with a wonderfully written story.

Frankenstein; The Modern Prometheus (Mary Shelley)

Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is nothing like its famous movie counterparts. It tells the story of a college student named Victor Frankenstein who attempts to create a human being, but after abandoning his creation, declaring it to be a failure, the creation comes back and wants revenge. Shelley’s novel tells a heartbreaking and suspenseful story that will keep you reading. Because it was published in 1818, the style may be difficult to understand, but if you can handle the older way of writing, your experience will prove to be worth your while.

1. P. Lovecraft’s Works

While he has no novel of his own, Howard Philips Lovecraft’s body of short stories is certainly just as impressive. Lovecraft was a lonely person and spent nearly all his time writing short stories that contribute to one connected fictional universe with its own fictional mythology. He pioneered a newly emerging sub-genre of horror known as cosmic or Lovecraftian horror. Establishing the genre itself led to it being named after him. Out of the many stories of his that I have read, I would recommend The Color Out of Space and The Outsider, both of which deal with fear of the unknown and isolation, perfect for someone looking for a scary and interesting read during quarantine. Lovecraft is easily the weirdest of my recommendations, but if you can get into it then you will not be disappointed. 

The Promised Neverland (Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu)

My last recommendation on my list is a newly popular manga series. For those unfamiliar, manga is Japanese comics, usually what anime is based on. The Promised Neverland is about Emma, Norman, and Ray, the smartest kids at the Grace Field Orphanage. Everything appears to be perfect there until they find out the dark truth about the world they live in. The series is hard to summarize because of the plot twists that it has in store. If you like manga and anime, then you are sure to love this series, but if you have never seen or read any manga or anime, then this is a great starting point to get into it.

Avid reader or not, these choice recommendations are ones that you’ll want to get your hands on. Every reader has a different preference when it comes to topic, style, and genre, so it might be only one of these that you’ll be picking up to try. Nevertheless, if anything is clear in these uncertain times, it’s the quality of these novels. Happy reading 🙂