19 Books to Read During Quarantine

If you’re in the mood for a far-reaching fantasy world with a bit more depth (and death), The Song of Ice and Fire Series may be perfect. Not only are they long enough to last even the fastest reader far beyond two weeks, but if you (somehow) finish them early you can binge through the completed 8 seasons.

Now might be the perfect time to catch up on the series, since author George R. R. Martin has stated that, in his own self-isolation, he’s been working on the final manuscripts (although, who knows when he’ll finish them…).

Unfortunately, the series isn’t available on all subscription services, but you can borrow them, use credits on audiobooks, or buy the ebooks. The long-term entertainment you’ll get out of them is worth the money.

Far off fantasy worlds will always welcome you with open arms and The Lord of The Rings is simply one of the best. As far-reaching as A Song of Ice and Fire but less dense and dry, yet also with more depth and adventure than Harry Potter, this classic series is a happy medium.

All three books are available on Scribd, a reading service that is offering 30-days free right now to help us stay entertained while social distancing, no subscription or credit card information required. You can read the entire series as ebooks or audiobooks, as well as The Hobbit and The Silmarillion once you’re done.

Brandon Sanderson is a mastermind and if you’re a fantasy lover who hasn’t read his writing yet, now is most definitely the time.

Get ready for interesting magic systems, fully-fleshed out characters, with not-too-lovey-dovey romances, tons of actions, plot twists, and a readability that is far more accessible than most adult fantasies, yet still so engaging.

Sanderson is also a gem of an author, who has humbly supplied his readers with every single draft of his standalone (for now, a sequel is coming) novel Warbreaker on his website. You can pick any version (including the final) and download it as a PDF.

If you fly through the fantasy, you can move onto the many short stories and sample chapters he has available as well, or splurge on a few e-book purchases. Most of his books take place within the same world, so it’s easy to get addicted and just keep reading!

Unfortunately, Saga is not available through Scribd or Prime Reading, but you can read it with Comixology. With a free trial of Comixology (or subscription if you already have one) you can read the first 3 volumes, and the rest are available for purchase.

But trust me, this one is worth the money.

55 issues of glorious, full-color adult science fiction graphic novel fabulousness. The characters will steal your heart, the plot will grip you, and the art style will blow you away.

This series will take you to far off worlds and far off problems, like space wars, ghost babysitters, and cyclops writers. And the drama will keep you hooked, just…keep it away from any of the prying eyes of the kiddies who might be home from school. This graphic novel series is graphic (and contains nudity)!

For those (like myself) who don’t mind some darker topics even in darker times, there’s plenty of dystopian literature out there.

Swansong is available for free with a Prime membership through Prime Reading which makes it a prime contender (ok, sorry about that).

But, it’s also just plain good, long enough to keep you occupied for a while, and gruesome in all the right ways to keep your attention.

There’s nothing like descriptions of melting faces and (what are basically) Nazis to keep your mind off things…am I right?

(Come on, how could that not intrigue you?)

If gruesome dystopian isn’t your thing there’s plenty of other options. 1984 is probably my favorite classic of all time so I can’t pass up the chance to mention it, especially when it’s readily available through Prime Reading and Scribd.

If you’ve put off reading classics ’til now, it might finally be your time to dive into them, especially since your mind isn’t as easily distracted by other activities.

1984 is pretty terrifying in its accuracies to our current technological state, so it can scare you in a whole other way then a pandemic can.

(Fun, right?)

I recommend Pet Sematary because it’s one of my favorite (and somewhat shorter) Stephen King books, but you can find almost any of King’s backlist on Scribd.

That could keep anyone busy for 2 decades…let alone 2 weeks.

Just, maybe stay away from books like The Stand…

But, if you do somehow get through all of Stephen’s spooks, you can start on the books of his son, Joe Hill, which are also readily available (and yes, chunky books run in the family).

Honestly, this is just a recommendation for Neil Gaiman’s books in general, which are almost all available on Scribd.

If you’ve never read a Gaiman book before (or watched Coraline), first of all, shame on you, but also, now is an excellent chance to do so. His grim stories are somehow still light and fast-paced even when they’re pretty depressing, and they’re fantastical enough that you know you’re not of this world.

Gaiman’s books are also a great pick because there are options for all audiences since books like The Graveyard Book and Coraline are meant for younger audiences while books like American Gods and Neverwhere are for adults.

Plus, if you’re looking for some soothing sounds, look no further than Gaiman’s voice. He narrates his own audiobooks, and even I, a very very picky audiobook person, find his particular English accent rather absolutely wonderful.

If you’re concerned about kiddies at home (and how to entertain them) there’s plenty of kids books available on both Prime Reading and Scribd.

One of the best (and least annoying for parents) might be The Series of Unfortunate Events series, which is not only long enough to keep them entertained for a while but interesting enough for you and highly educational (you’ll both learn some vocabulary).

The series is available in both Audiobook and ebook on Scribd for any and all activity levels and can be followed up with the 3 seasons of the Netflix show, which I also highly recommend.

Let us all take this opportunity at home to read more graphic novels (something we should be doing all the time).

Fence is an absolutely adorable comic series which really has…no stakes.

If you’re feeling down, you can turn to this series and rest assured that there’s absolutely nothing sad or difficult that happens (except, losing a fencing match once in a while). The greatest harm you’ll feel while reading is flying through the entire series only to reach the ending, which, I warn you, is inconclusive while the series waits to be continued!

You can read all 12 volumes in an afternoon, on Scribd!

If you’re not into the whole ‘cliff-hanger’ thing, Hearstopper is also an adorable YA boy-meets-boy romance comic. And it’s constantly being updated.

This one deals with a few darker themes but each issue is upfront with trigger warnings, so you won’t have to worry about surprises.

The series is now available as bind-ups for purchase but you can also read the issues for free on Tapas, Webtoon, or Tumblr.

Not only is Little Women timely with the new adaption (which you can digitally rent after you’re finished) but it’s full of feel-good family relationships and romance.

Plus, it’s not a bad idea to step back into simpler times when cars and the internet and phones didn’t exist yet (ah, the good ‘ol days).

You can read Little Women almost anywhere, including Prime Reading and Scribd.

My pick for my own social-distancing, I can’t speak to the series as a whole as I’ve only just finished the first book. But, as the favorite of many book reviewers, I can already tell this series is a good choice. Upbeat, adorable, and easy to read, you can follow-up reading sessions by watching the two movie adaptions on Netflix, one of which was just released.

The entire series is available on Scribd.

You’ll fly through this feel-good YA romance in no time.

A solid recommendation, whether we’re avoiding people on purpose or not, The Sun is Also A star is a fast-paced read taking place mostly over the course of one day (the same amount of time it’ll probably take you to read it).

It never ceases to keep you engaged with an interesting plot, interspersed with vignette moments of other information, like the history of the universe and the life story of a passerby.

When you’re done reading it on Scribd, you can digitally rent the adaption.

Pirates, adventure, and a fast and upbeat narration style…what more could you want?

Did I mention pirates?

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a fun book, stuck at home or not, and it definitely has the power to transport its readers to another world.

You can read (or listen) to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue for free with Scribd. If you like it, you can carry on to the sequel, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Privacy, and the follow-up novella, The Gentleman’s Guide to Getting Lucky, which are both available through Scribd as audiobooks.

When the lockdowns lift and the stores re-open, you’ll be ready for the release of the next in the series, The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks which comes out August 18th (or Pre-order now and support your local bookstore!).

Just an all-around good suggestion, I can’t help but mention one of my favorite YA contemporaries when it’s so easily available on Scribd.

It’s a basic boy-meets-boy romance but with the added twist of a slight mystery, the added intrigue of letters (texts, actually) and just some well-written tension and super strong narration.

That’s it. That’s the recommendation.

Go read it.

I’ll take any opportunity to recommend this book, and I feel like I haven’t been talking about it enough lately so…

Hey, read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo because it’s really, really, really great.

There’s no excuse not to, since, you know, you have time. And also, it’s available as an e-book and audiobook on Scribd. If you like it (you will, trust me) you can read Taylor Jenkin Reids romance backlist aplenty, since most of it is also available!

(ok, fine, you need more info? Click the button)

Last, but not least, the only non-fiction fun enough to make it onto this list.

Right now, many people are re-watching their favorite movies to pass the time indoors, and one of the most popular choices is surely The Princess Bride.

You can read the original novel on Scribd, sure, but you can also read Cary Elwes’s biography detailing the hijinks that the cast got up to, the on-set secrets, and many many fun facts.

Great for any fan of the movie (which is everyone, right? No?! INCONCIEVABLE!) but also just well-written and funny.