Books to Read During Lockdown

We are pretty much under lockdown here, and I imagine your situation may be similar.  We are only going out for the most essential reasons and otherwise staying in the house trying to occupy ourselves with anything to pass the time.  In an effort to provide some sort of distraction (however small), I am going to post every day this week and offer up some topics that may inspire you to try something new.

Our libraries have closed for the duration of the COVID-19 situation, but I have several other options for you to cheaply get your hands on some books that will definitely help you pass the time we are stuck with "social distancing".  Today I am going to recommend some backlist books that will be completely escapist.  You will become so immersed in the worlds of these books that the time we are stuck inside will fly by.  These books are readily available and most can be borrowed at no cost in an eBook or audible format.  The books I mention are available for purchase on Amazon for Kindle, Audible.com, or are available free on a service called Scribd (free for 30 days), or through your library's eBook borrowing service (Hoopla, Axis 365, Libby).

I am not going to provide reviews here, just the briefest descriptions.  Hopefully, there will be something for everyone here.  So, let's go.

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth- a series set in post-war England, 22-year-old Jenny leaves her comfortable life to move into a convent and become a midwife in London's slums.  This is also the highest-rated series BBC has ever done and is available to watch free through Amazon Prime.

A Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell- escape to Denmark with this entertaining real-life saga of a couple who moves to Denmark for a year to see what life there is all about.  See what the Danes get right and wrong, and be completely entertained.  Made me laugh out loud in parts.

Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik- a young woman leaves life in the US behind to move to the Bolivian jungle.  It starts as an exotic excursion and ends up being a fight for survival.  You have to suspend some belief with this book, but I promise you will be completely immersed.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver- one of my all-time favorite books.  An evangelic minister takes his wife and four daughters on a mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959.  Told from the point of view of his wife and daughters.  Pretty amazing story that will stay with you long after you finish the book.

Winter Cottage and Spring House, both by Mary Ellen Taylor- if you love women's fiction and also enjoy books told from alternating timelines, you will be a fan of anything Mary Ellen Taylor writes.  Both these books involve the restoration of properties on an estate on Virginia's Eastern Shore and uncover secrets from the past.  Mary Ellen Taylor has also written the Union Street Bakery series, books that involve baking, plucky heroines and some romance.

The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley- this is a seven-book series (6 available so far) about the adopted daughters of a Swiss bazillionaire who has died and left information to each of the girls about their origins.  Each book tells the story of one of the daughters and follows her back to her country of origin and her ancestors.  All these books have a dual timeline format, which is so fun.  These books will take you to Rio de Janeiro, Norway, Beatrix Potter's Lake District in England, Aboriginal Australia, the Scottish Highlands, Flamenco dancing in Madrid, and the plains of Kenya.  The first in the series is The Seven Sisters.  If you want to escape, these books are the way to go.

Three Pines books by Louise Penney (Inspector Gamache books)-  This series is absolutely beloved by so many readers.  If you have not read any Louise Penny books, you really should give these mysteries a try.  All are set in or involve a cast of characters from Three Pines, a small town in Quebec Province, Canada.  Still Life is the first in the series. You will come to love the characters and enjoy the increasingly deep look into human nature as the series progresses.  Winner of many many awards. 15 books in the series, so if you love this author as so many do, you will be all set for a long time.  You are welcome.

Madame Chic series by Jennifer Scott- if you want to spend your quarantine time on some self-improvement, the Madam Chic books are an entertaining way to do it.  This author explores poise, manners, and the fine art of living.  She also has an intriguing YouTube channel called The Daily Connoisseur, which could occupy you for hours. 

Fingersmith, Affinity, The Little Stranger, The Paying Guests all by Sarah Waters- I have enjoyed everything this author has written.  Her books are historical fiction, some set in Victorian times, others in the 1920s or 40s.  All her books have a creepy Gothic vibe and are suspenseful and atmospheric.  Such a good writer.  Her books tend to be lengthy as well, so they will definitely keep you engrossed for a while.

Last, if you really want to escape from this world, you might want to try some Fantasy books.  

Robin Hobb is a prolific author who has written five series set in The Land of the Elderlings.  I would start with 
The Farseer Trilogy, then The Tawny Man trilogy, then the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, the Live Ships trilogy and then the Rain Wilds series.  If you get caught up in these books, you will not regret it.  I have never read so many pages by one single author!  Each series involves some of the same characters, who you will grow to love as you progress through the books.  Really excellent.  If you have never read books in the Fantasy genre, this is your gateway.  Not violent, no open door sex, no bad language- just top-notch storytelling.

The Blackthorn and Grim books by Juliette Marillier are also an engrossing fantasy series set in an imagined world of ancient Ireland.  Dreamer's Pool, Tower of Thorns,  and Den of Wolves are the books in the trilogy.  The series starts out quite dark, but Blackthorn and Grim are a formidable team and overcome many adversities.  Our grumpy main character Blackthorn is sentenced for seven years to live amongst the people of Dalriada as a healer.  Part fairy tale, part Celtic folklore, these books are magical in more ways than one.

So, what do you think?  With luck, some of these books will take you away from our crazy present world and into realms beyond your wildest imagination.

 

Comments

[Mary]

Your taste in reading is mostly different than mine, but I always find at least one book that appeals to me; and I'm looking forward to reading some you've listed here. I am so glad you blog when so many have given up; your posts are always entertaining and informative in one way or another. I always look forward to seeing what you are up to.

[Susan]

Thank you for the recommendations. I keep a list of books to download from my library- it’s always fun to discover new authors. Be safe and well. Thanks fir sharing.

[Donna]

Thanks for your book suggestions! I am a huge fan of Louise Penny and have read all of the books in her series. I feel that I know the characters and the Three Pines village - as if they were real! Although I have not read the "Call the Midwife" series, the PBS show is excellent and I would imagine that the books are equally good. I will definitely be checking out some of the other titles that you've listed.

[Carla B.]

Thanks for your decision to post daily as we all travel thru the next 30 or so days. I’m very fortunate as I have oodles of things to keep me quite occupied. I have a 2 piles of wood that I need to move and stack! Lol, our furnace went on the fritz a few days after Christmas. (And was told it needed to be replaced). As luck would have it, for the first time, we decided to only heat with fuel this winter (Maine). We are in our late 70’s and decided to forgo our favorite method of heating....that being our wood stove! We were sooooo fortunate to have been able to find 2 cords of seasoned wood, and 2 cords of unseasoned. BUT already had been blessed with 3 snowstorms. Finding a spot to drop the wood was a bit challenging and of course it was on top of at least 2 feet of snow. Yesterday finally able to set out where to stack the final 2 piles that were delivered.

Never am I able to start yard work so early in the season here, but snow finally gone and dry enough to start raking. Which I did all weekend. Now, I’ll add a book from your list for last thing at night. Have to have my daily quilting time too. And that’s perfect also as have to have a college graduation quilt done for a granddaughter. Starting as soon as finish machine quilting this QOV....and I use a domestic machine.

Phew, who has time to go galavanting around the countryside. Oops, forgot agility time with the two Cattle Dogs. I just retired from my profession as a registered nurse 3 years ago and believe that it’s Very Important to have and maintain a positive and loving attitude, especially during times such as these.

That is why I was and am so blessed with your decision to post daily and use your voice to help and encourage your readers. (And I can also extrapolate that you also do this for your family, friends, and acquaintances.).

[Mary Kastner]

Thank you Nicole! I look forward to your posts. Be well!

[Robby H.]

Thanks! Always fun to find some new books to check out. Be well!

[T Holzer]

Thanks, Nicole. I just started watching the midwife series and I'm hooked! I guess I'll have to read the book too. I am almost finished Elizabeth George's book "what came before he shot her" and it is a fantastic book and it makes me wonder if you ever continued with her books after Lynley's wife was shot? I'm just curious!! I think that you should make another cake today.......

[Kit]

Thank you! Your last book list was by request only at our library...very popular, but worth the wait. Looking forward to easy finds and out of the ordinary reads.

[Linda Kay Smith]

Thanks for more book recommendations. I'm so glad I have access to Overdrive through our library. It will be especially handy since I can download books to my Kindle without going out.
I also have several small quilt/table runner projects I plan to machine quilt myself. I'm getting more comfortable with doing cross-hatch quilting and it turns out looking pretty good. I also have some yard clean up that needs done once it warms up a little here.
By the way, love the picture of the books arranged by color - very appealing.

[Diane Linford]

Thank you, thank you. This was just the shot in the arm I needed! Stay well.

[Linda Hayes]

Thanks so much for all of these recommendations 😊

[Helen]

Love love Louise Penney books have read lots on your list but have a few books already downloaded ready to go and also lots of ufo’s to do am sitting in LAX awaiting flight home then 2 weeks quarantine, will look forward to your posts thanks

[Jan]

Good morning Nicole! Thanks for posting all week when everyone is in need of some happy news! I flew all day yesterday & almost finished the very popular "Nothing To See Here" by Kevin Wilson. It's currently on a lot of book club lists & I understand why!

[Kristi]

I see some books I want to read on your list. My local library is closed for 30 days and I don’t own a electronic reader. I’ll have to remedy this situation!
Thanks for sharing!