Struggling to Read During the Pandemic? 6 Easy, Fun Reads to End Your Slump
Whether you want fun fiction, digestible nonfiction, or relaxing reads, I’ve got you.
If you’re like a lot of us, you’ve struggled to read books through the pandemic. Luckily we’re in a golden age of television, so there have been a lot of well-told, good stories for you to sink into. But if you’re a reader, you probably miss being able to sink into a good book (and being able to pay attention to words for longer than a strictly factual news article).
I know how you feel. I’ve been spending a lot more time glued to screens. Luckily, I’ve been able to keep reading, though my tastes have changed. Now I have a new appreciation for lighter reads, prioritizing fun over the kind of books that I used to read because they were “good for me.”
Here are my top recommendations for pandemic reading, divided into three categories: Fun Fiction, Digestible Non-Fiction, and Relaxing Randoms.
Fun Fiction
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
The Switch was… perfection. I took O’Leary’s debut novel, The Flatshare, on vacation with me to London in 2019 and absolutely fell in love with her writing. I love it when I end up loving an author’s followup just as much as their debut, and The Switch was definitely one of those cases.
Late-twenty-something Leena Cotton has a high-powered finance job, a casual boyfriend, and a group of amazing friends, but her life falls apart when she has a panic attack at work. Her boss notices that she hasn’t taken a vacation in years, and forces her to use up all those vacation days for a two-month vacation. Meanwhile, Leena’s eighty-year-old grandmother, Eileen, wants a change from her Yorkshire village life, and to try online dating in a more diverse setting. So they switch lives—Leena moves into her grandma’s house in the Yorkshire village, and Eileen moves in with her granddaughter’s roommates in London.
This book is a delight. Village drama, big-city hustle and bustle, romance, and two strong female protagonists… what more could one want? The stakes are big, despite the quaint settings and personal conflicts. I love it so much, and I’m counting the days until O’Leary’s next release.
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
I’ve just finished this book and I need to yell about it! In acclaimed YA author Rachel Lynn Solomon’s debut adult romance, two public radio rival colleagues are forced to partner up on a new show about being exes to revitalize their station’s programme. The only problem? They never actually dated.
What a pitch, right?
It’s a really fun, readable romance, with a perfect balance between the romance plot and the main character’s own personal development. The sexy parts are very sexy, too, if that’s your thing. I can’t wait for more adult novels from Solomon.
Digestible Non-Fiction
How to Argue with a Racist by Adam Rutherford
I would recommend this book to anyone who engages in political discussion online. It’s not so much an instruction manual on debating racists, as it is a primer on genetics and “race science.” It’s a powerful tool for debunking the harmful myths about race that pervade our society, even among progressives.
Did you know that no one race is genetically predestined to excel in athletics? Did you know that each generation back, your number of ancestors doubles? Did you know that everyone of European descent has a common ancestor—a women who lived in the 1400s?
I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about race and genetics. Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, and a gifted writer when it comes to making complicated scientific ideas comprehensible and even fun to read. It’s a short book, but packed with fun facts you’ll be boring your family with (or your cat or houseplants, if you‘re quarantining alone). This book completely changed how I view my own place in the great family tree that is humanity, and I think every human should read it.
The Far Right Today by Cas Mudde
A little less fun but no less important, The Far Right Today by Dutch academic Cas Mudde is a great primer on the far right (think Trump and UKIP) and extreme right (neo-Nazi or white supremacist) movements happening in the world today.
The far and extreme right are incredibly diverse, but they’re on the rise over a large portion of the world. Cas Mudde’s book will give you a rundown on all of them, from the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn to Vox in Spain, the National Front in France, and Hindu nationalism in India. It’s really important to be aware of the operations and tactics of these groups, so you can counteract them when you have the opportunity. I’ve also been enjoying the author’s podcast, Radikaal, which features short interviews with researchers who specialize in the far right. Did you know that outside of North America, the far right and football have an intimate connection? You will after checking out Mudde’s work!
Relaxing Randoms
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
L.M. Montgomery is best known for the Anne of Green Gables books, but to me she’ll always be the author who created Emily Starr—protagonist of the Emily of New Moon trilogy. I discovered the Emily books, about an orphan scribbler who becomes a when I was eight years old, and she’s been my favourite author ever since.
In 2020, I dove deeper into her catalogue than I ever had before. I read a book of her obscure short stories, which were quaint and wonderful, and I read The Blue Castle, her only novel for adults. And The Blue Castle is just… divine.
It takes place in the 1920s and is about 29-year-old Valancy Stirling, who lives with her family and leads a dull life, headed for permanent spinsterhood. When she receives notice from her doctor that she has a bad heart that will kill her within the year, she decides to stop trying to live her life to please her family and begin doing what she wants to do. She becomes the talk of her little rural Ontario town as she becomes more outspoken and rebellious. And when she marries local eccentric ne’er-do-well Barney Snaith, well…
The Blue Castle has an endearing, vivacious protagonist, a fun small-town setting, and gorgeous nature writing, which is perhaps L.M. Montgomery’s greatest strength as a writer. It even has a thrilling plot twist! It’s a delight on every level, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a soothing getaway from the everyday.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Generally, I read one book at a time until I’ve finished. I’ll read multiple books at a time if they’re in different formats (physical versus audio, for example), but I’m more or less a one-book-at-a-time gal.
Walden changed that for me this year.
I probably don’t have to tell you what Walden is about—it’s a classic. But more than just a classic of American literature, Walden is a Zen masterpiece about the power of nature and the value of quiet.
I keep this book by my bedside. On nights when I need a little peace, I read a few pages. There’s no plot to Walden, nothing that requires your full, undivided attention. This is the perfect book to read when it’s raining outside. You can check out of reality and sink into descriptions of Walden Pond and the birds and plants and human inhabitants of the area. The book takes you through the seasons of the pond, and the comings and goings surrounding it. It’s not the kind of book you simply read—you experience it. You live it. You soak in the silence and solitude of it and enjoy it. It’s unlike any other book I’ve read.
So, those are my pandemic reading recommendations. Hopefully at least one of these can help you bring the joy of books back into your life.
Happy reading!
