30 good books to read during the Corona season

Regardless of what happens in the world, a good book can provide insight, comfort or a positive escape. As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to spread and many of us are looking for new ways to entertain ourselves while at home, reading books can provide rewarding and relaxing times.

Thankfully, books are easily accessible without leaving home. You can read e-books or buy books online. Here are 30 good books to read during the Corona season.

World War Z / World War Z (Max Brooks)

This is Max Brooks 'oral history' of a virus originating from China and spreading around the world, turning millions of people into zombies.

The novel is an insight into the social response to a pandemic. The author describes how different countries respond to viruses and the psychological reaction of humans during a pandemic.

Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)

Published in Spanish in 1985 and translated into English three years later, Love in the Time of Cholera takes place a century ago, in an unnamed city, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza are young and deeply in love, but Fermina is forced to marry others. Márquez gave an insight into death, decline and love, in the context of a civil war and a relapsing cholera epidemic.

The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

It was a cold winter in the post-apocalyptic America. A father and son are struggling to survive. The Road raises complex ethical questions, parenting, etc. Cormac McCarthy's novel won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a movie starring Viggo Mortensen.

The Book of M (Peng Shepherd)

The Book of M records the world in crisis as a strange epidemic spread across the globe, through the eyes of a desperate young couple. At the heart of the novel is the question of the meaning of memory.

Zone One (Colson Whitehead)

This book of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Colson Whitehead, published in 2011 is not a story about doomsday and typical zombies. Blending literary fiction, humor and horror, the novel focuses on the divided New York City, where characters quickly discover the difficulties of maintaining order between chaotic.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation (Ottessa Moshfegh)

Can you sleep to forget everything? That's what the unnamed protagonist Ottessa Moshfegh pondered, before embarking on a year-long resting journey to reestablish his life after a series of tragedies. The story revolves around the journey of the young girl, aiming to find a solution to connect with the world and others.

Wild - Cheryl Strayed

At the age of 26, Cheryl Strayed never carried a backpack. But after her mother died and her marriage broke down, she set a goal to make the trip a thousand miles longer. Strayed's memoir, made up of intriguing details, recounts her journey as she walked from California to Washington, bringing everything she needed to survive on her back and reflect on the past.

Walden / Alone in the forest (Henry David Thoreau)

The work was first published in 1854 and is considered a classic work of American literature. Walden revolves around the theme of getting rid of the constant distractions of modern life, finding joy from the simple things and sounds of everyday life.

The Martian (Andy Weir)

After encountering a dangerous dust storm on Mars, an astronaut named Mark Watney thought that he was dead. The extremely difficult crew makes a decision to return to earth without Watney. But Mark Watney is really alive. Trapped and with very few supplies, the astronaut must use his skills to survive on Mars alone. The fast-paced story, made into a 2015 movie starring Matt Damon, examines how perseverance and creativity can take people through unimaginable challenges.

Solitary (Albert Woodfox)

In 2016, Albert Woodfox was released from prison. This is the longest prisoner in solitary confinement in the United States, spent 4 decades in a cell in Louisiana and is only allowed to go out 1 hour a day. Solitary is Albert Woodfox's memoirs, telling a heartbreaking story of his unjust conviction and the pain of racism at a prison in Angola.

Middlemarch (George Eliot)

George Eliot's Middlemarch masterpiece is about marriage, work and disappointment on both. Eliot instilled in the reader the idea that small acts of kindness can make a difference. Striving for such lofty goals will help improve the world.

1Q84, Haruki Murakami

As with most other works, 1Q84 is a strange blend of detective fiction, surrealism and melancholy unique to the Japanese master novelist, Haruki Murakami.

The work revolves around the lives of two main characters: Aomame and Tengo, a fusion between reality and fantasy, containing mysteries, romance and deep contemplation.

War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace is a novel that everyone should read. Through the war, with the political and social upheaval that followed, Leo Tolstoy showed his characters transformed into completely different people. With lengthy but cinematic passages, only when you spend time poring over can you find the profound meaning of the work.

Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan)

Kevin Kwan used education in a rich Singaporean family as inspiration for his satirical Crazy Rich Asians series. The trilogy focuses on Singapore's wealthy elite. With his humor, Kwan has turned the problems of the rich into a fun and humane joke.

Harry Potter series (JK Rowling)

Harry Potter is the story of a great witch war. Books will automatically take you into your own fantasy world. Besides, lessons on how to support and empathize with the weak are more essential than ever.

In addition to the books above, you can find a number of other works, also appreciated, including:

1. The Passage Trilogy (Justin Cronin)
2. The Broken Earth trilogy (NK Jemisin)
3. Severance (Ling Ma)
4. Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel)
5. The Book of M (Peng Shepherd), Wave (Sonali Deraniyagala)
6. A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles)
7. The Neapolitan novels (Elena Ferrante)
8. The Wolf Hall trilogy (Hilary Mantel)
9. The Toni Morrison canon
10. Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
11. I Feel Bad About My Neck (Nora Ephron)
12. IQ Series (Joe Ide)
13. Black Leopard, Red Wolf (Marlon James)
14. Such a Fun Age (Kiley Reid)
15. My Sister, the Serial Killer (Oyinkan Braithwaite)