“Social Distancing” and “Self Quarantine” are suddenly new words in our vocabulary, a sign of the new world being created by the COVID-19 virus. What that means is many of us suddenly have a lot more time on our hands.  So what should you do with that extra time? Since this a blog about reading, I suggest you read!

You know that big thick book that has been on your night stand forever? Or that series that you always promised you would read, well now is the time to unearth them and start reading!  If you need a few suggestions, however, here are some of my recommendations. For this blog I am choosing older books, as I know our libraries will be inundated with requests for newer books. But sometimes oldies are goldies!

• Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: These fantasy books are some of my favorites and some of the few I have reread over and over again. I highly recommend them as the story is engaging, suspenseful, surprising and immerses you in a completely different world. With each of the five  books close to 8oo pages they will also last a long time!
• The Starbridge Cathedral Series by Susan Howatch: Over the course of six books, Howatch describes the life and times of a cathedral in the mythical city of Starbridge. Beginning in 1930 and ending in the early 1970’s these books describe the destructiveness of spiritual hubris, the seduction of power and the moral dilemmas that face the Church universal and people of God. Easy to read and deeply engaging, they raise up issues of faith in ways rarely seen in literary novels.
• The Brother’s Gwynedd Quartet by Edith Pargeter (Ellis Peters): These four books are beautifully and engagingly written historical novels about Llewelyn the first true Prince of Wales. If you love history you will love the depth and insights Pargeter brings to these books.
• If fiction isn’t your thing then maybe I can tempt you with authors who write about historically significant things in engaging ways. David McCullough’s  The Path Between the Seas is the fascinating story of building the Panama Canal, but anything by McCullough is well written and well researched! Erik Larson is another author who takes specific moments in history and tells that story in engaging ways. His Devil in the White City about The Chicago World’s Fair or In the Garden of Beasts which tells the story of the US Ambassador to Germany and his family who saw Hitler’s rise to power are exciting and enlightening. Never boring, these books read like novels filled with suspense and drama.
• If you want history but you want something that connects the dots for you, then Thomas Cahill is the author for you! He has written some great books starting with  How the Irish Saved Civilization . Cahill’s books are easy to read, but they contain some of the best research available and he connects so many various aspects of history that I often felt like I was getting “AHAA” moments in every chapter!

So this seems like a good start. Next week I will continue this series on Books to Read During a Pandemic, but in the meantime I would love to hear from you. What are you reading?  Which genre do you need recommendations for? What book has startled you? What book has really engaged you? Let’s talk!

In the meantime stay safe, stay well, and wash your hands!

We will get through this!