Escapism with books in a time of COVID

There is that delightful feeling of sinking my teeth into a good book. I can be an intermittent reader - I can binge on several books back to back, lying for hours at a time reading. But I fall off the wagon, forget about them and wonder why, suddenly longing for that escape. Lately, although Netflix and movies have been a comfort, I'm craving another run at some good books. If I have a few in the pipeline, it's easier for me to keep on a roll. I tend to have a theme - wartime Paris, solitude, biographies, a classic author...and will stay with that for a few books if I can. Here are some resources I've found helpful to guide me in my search for a good book during our time in isolation.

ARTICLES & BOOK REVIEWS

Coronavirus reading: 10 inspirational books that offer advice on how to live in tough times - Whether you need a comforting shoulder to lean on or a well-meaning kick in the pants, these books will help get you through this difficult time.

Finding comfort in the classics - NYT article from their editors

In This Moment of Solitude, Books Can Be Our Passports

A hopeful book list from Greenpeace

NPR Book Review - my favorite book site so far - it's easy to use, graphic and intuitive. Lots of great ways to use it - top books by year and topic, where to download or buy, etc.

The New Yorker Recommends

Goodreads

NYTimes Book Review

GETTING BOOKS

How to Get Books When Bookstores and Libraries Are Closed - nice article about audio books, how to get books from NYPL and how to support small bookstores vs. Amazon.

Amazing and wacky finds from the Internet Archive

Open Library - great selection of classics and new releases - has a kids K-12 section and you can download ebooks in different formats (kindle, pdf, epub, etc.)

Read Print is a user-friendly website that allows users to read classics online. It also has a fancy bookshelf widget where you can track books read and books (so many books) that you want to read.

BOOKS ON MY LIST

• Walden or anything Thoreau - great article in the NYT about Constructive Solitude

• Glennon Doyle Untamed - a friend writes "It's a book about unlearning the messages women are taught from birth that serve the status quo but don't serve their wild inner knowing. It's about breaking down systems and thoughts that don't serve our humanity--a deeply relevant message for this extraordinary moment."

• Elizabeth Gilbert City of Girls

• Where the Crawdads Sing

• The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson - historical fiction - a royal concubine in the last days of Muslim Granada.

• Comfortable with Uncertainty 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion by Pema Chodron

• Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg