Read Your Way Through Quarantine

Like many people around the world, you may have found yourself in a quarantine in your own home until the worst is over.

And, like many people around the world, you may be realizing just how boring and monotonous it can get  being stuck in your home with your spouse (who may or may not work from home) and/or your children.

Seriously, #solidarity.

For me, reading has been the best way to pass the time, both reading to my kids and reading books for myself. The problem for many is finding these books. So here are a few ways you can access digital books that are new to you or re-read old favorites without leaving your house.

Use that library card

If you already have a library card, you’re a step ahead of the game. Did you know that you can use your library card to receive digital books straight to your favored device? Whether you use your phone, an e-reader, a tablet, or stare at a computer screen, there’s no need to give that library card a rest.

Here are a few free apps that can support you:

• Freegal: While mostly a music app, this option provides access to hundreds of audiobooks for free. You can find classics, biographies, memoirs, and more—even children’s books. Log in with your town, state, and library, then key in your library card information to get started.
• Libby: This is one of the most well-known free apps for book access with OverDrive. You can find thousands that are downloaded directly to your favorite reading device. You can find many new releases here, but be prepared for wait times on the most popular titles. Just log in and go!
• Hoopla: This app has a collection of music, ebooks, comics, audiobooks, and digital TV shows and movies. So in case you are one of the few who hasn’t yet subscribed to Disney+, you can use your library card instead. Hoopla has a bit more to offer than Freegal regarding new releases, and their children’s book selection is huge. Create your log in and get searching.
• RBDigital: You name what you’re looking for, and RBDigital most likely has it. Compared to the other options, this is the source for digital newspaper and magazine access. In addition, this app also has access to comics, ebooks, audiobooks, and other content you’re probably looking for. There’s no need for your library to have an account with RBDigital.

What if you don’t have a library card? Some states are allowing individuals to get library cards without going in person. Search for libraries in your state’s capital or major cities to find out more.

Consider non-app options

If you don’t have a library card, you can still get digital content, and in some cases, for free.

You can access more than 60,000 ebooks for free using Project Gutenberg. You don’t have to download any special apps to use it. Just download your chosen book to read in a web browser or on your favorite device (including e-readers and tablets). Note that most of the books on this website are those with expired copyrights, so many of the options are classics.

Amazon is also one of my favorite places to go to download books, both for free and for a fee, but you can choose your favorite bookseller to do the same. Amazon specifically has free books (usually the same ones offered by Project Gutenberg), but sometimes has free books for kids as well.

Need book ideas?

Maybe you already knew all of this, but haven’t found any books to strike your fancy. Here are a few books I recommend:

1. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

When Zachary Ezra Rawlins discovers an old book in his university library that doesn’t seem to belong, his interest is piqued. He is absorbed by the stories of love and loss, prisoners and kings, key collectors and story creators. But one day, he finds a story that from his childhood, and he’s pretty sure the character is actually him—not just a story, but real life. Zachary eventually walks through a door to find an underground library where he learns about the intersection between those stories and himself.

I read this as part of my book club, and it was one of those books that sticks with you long after you finish it. The story itself is interrupted with fairy tales and short stories, that eventually all connect in such an exciting way. Morgenstern’s writing is captivating, poetic, and beautiful. If you find you enjoy this particular book, pick up her other novel, The Night Circus.

2. The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell (also released as The Corset)

Ruth Butterham is in jail under a suspicion of murder, when Dorothea Truelove visits her as part of her charity work. Dorothea is fascinated with phrenology, how the shape of a person’s skull can contribute to specific behaviors, so she volunteers at Oakgate Prison to test her hypothesis that a person’s skull can show evidence of their crimes. Ruth, however, can’t explain exactly how she killed numerous women while sewing their clothes, but she believes her supernatural powers went into the stitching. Dorothea can’t believe it’s possible to kill simply by sewing, but Ruth’s story is difficult to ignore. Is Ruth insane or truly dangerous? Damaged or distraught?

If you enjoy suspense, you’ll like the twists and turns this story takes, which has been compared to Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery.

3. Sanditon by Jane Austen and Kate Riordan

Bonus: When you finish this book, you can watch the PBS series, available through PBS or Amazon Fire for a fee!

Charlotte Heywood accompanies the Parkers to Sanditon, a coastal town being transformed into a resort town. While there, she discovers just how expensive the transformation is as well as how many people it takes to build and run everything planned. During her time in Sanditon, Charlotte meets Sidney Parker, her host’s brother, and in typical Austen fashion, an intriguing relationship develops amid the devious plans by other characters.

This book was Jane Austen’s last novel, which she never finished—only 60 pages were complete by the time she died. Years later, a television series was started based on the novel, which was then finished by Kate Riordan. While the book is very different for a Jane Austen novel, I think Austen lovers will still enjoy it.

4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Another bonus: you can watch all five seasons on Starz or the first three seasons on Netflix.

While on holiday with her husband in Inverness, Scotland, after the end of World War II, Claire Randall gathers flowers on a hill, when she leans against archaic stones called Craigh Na Dun. She is transported to 1743, as a “Sassenach,” or “Outlander” as the Scottish call her. She does what is needed to survive, planning to return to the stones, but when she discovers that marriage to a Scot might be the only way to save her life, her trajectory is forever altered.

I’ll admit that this book took me some time to get through, as 1.) it’s humongous and 2.) it has some slow parts, but in the end, it was worth it. This is the first book of eight, with a ninth still being written. Once I finished this one, I started flying through the rest.

 

Whatever you’re doing during your “quarantine,” I hope you find some time to slow down, but to also take care of you. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the things you “should” be doing, trying to keep your kids on a school schedule, and finding ways to entertain everyone to avoid boredom, but take those small, quiet moments for you too. Get a warm drink, prop up your feet, and “turn” a few pages while making some new friends.

Happy reading!