Back when things were just starting to get crazy (see, can't let it go) and library closing looked imminent (along with everything else), I went on a massive book stock-up spree, visiting 4 different library branches over 3 days. I knew I didn't have time for new holds to come in and I knew we'd likely be home for awhile. I seemed to think that this would mean I'd have unlimited reading time. Oh, 5 weeks ago me. Homeschooling a 1st grader with a very active 2 year old running around/destroying things while Matt's gone approximately 12 hours a day, 4 days a week (to work in healthcare, not a low-stress place right now)...doesn't leave me a ton of extra time. Plus, there was a HUGE distraction factor at play, constantly refreshing the news to see what else was now closing while also going A LOT of texting with family especially...yeah, those first couple weeks were ROUGH.
I got in a much better reading groove once I realized that what I could handle right now was light and easy reads. It also really helped me to get some digital books through the library Libby app. Especially when I got "skip the line" loans that I'd only get for 7 days so I'd have to read fairly quickly. Or even just when my other holds came in on there and if I didn't get to them right away, every time I opened the app it would remind me "5 other people are in line for this book!" as in "get your butt reading!". So, even though I had a stack of physical books, feeling light pressure to get through digital books definitely helped.
All that said, I'm still reading mostly lighter books right now. My brain is in a much better space now, especially with our homeschool days reduced to just 2-3 a week instead of 5 days we did each of the first two weeks. BUT, my mental load just isn't what it was pre-quarantine so if light and fluffy books is mostly what I can handle right now, then that's what I'll read.
Here are a few suggestions in that department, especially if that's all you can handle right now! I'd imagine most of these are popular enough that they are available through library e-book lending programs!
Non-Fiction
Don't Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life by Anne Bogel
This is a new book that just came out at the beginning of March. I read it before quarantine started, since I had pre-ordered a copy, and found it surprisingly applicable to these "crazy times" we all find ourselves in. If I had read it at almost any other point I would have written a whole post for it; I liked it that much. I am most definitely an overthinker and found so many parts of this very useful for my regular life and super applicable for quarantine life. This helped identify ways of overthinking, explains how it zaps mental energy, and ways to stop yourself from doing it. It was so helpful and came at just the right time.
Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee
Who doesn't need more joy right now?? I read this almost exactly a year ago and LOVED it. I still find myself thinking of ways to inject more joy into our home, mostly due to things I learned from this book. Things like using bright colors and circles (balloons, bubbles, hula hoops, etc.). I didn't read this through a quarantine lens but I'm sure there are still parts that are applicable without leaving the house! Full post on it back here!
Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy by Jamie C. Martin
This is another book that deserved it's own post but I read it right at the end of last school year and the kick-off of summer, so that post didn't happen either. If you find yourself an introverted Mom with kids now always around without many chances to leave the house...you might find this useful. Some of the suggestions don't work right now (I can't get a sitter so I can get a kid-free break, and there is nowhere I can really go anyways, besides for a run) but it still makes me feel less guilty about needing a little kid-free time!
Happier at Home: Kiss More, Abandon a Project, Read Samuel Johnson, and My Other Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life by Gretchen Rubin
I intend to read this soon and had it marked to reread in April, weeks before we knew about quarantine. Since we are home pretty much all the time right now, I'm pretty open to any ideas on how to be happier here! Especially ideas that involve not having to acquire anything new! I've read it twice already and always come away with a few fresh ideas.
Fiction
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
When I was brain storming light-hearted books that I would find soothing to read right now, this was one of the first that came to mind. I first read this trilogy back when it was just two books and LOVED them. I've read them a few times since and they have held up. Lara Jean is a high schooler who lives with her Dad and two sisters (her Mom died awhile ago) when her precocious little sister sends out some love letters that Lara Jean never intended to be read by their recipients. There is romance, like most YA books, but my favorite part is Lara Jean's wonderful relationship with her Dad and sisters. Bonus, there are movies on Netflix for the first two books too! Full post back here!
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
These are middle grade novels that I read to myself as a Mom in my 30s and I am perfectly ok with that. The Vanderbeekers are a family of 7 - Mom, Dad, and 5 kids, who live in the Harlem part of New York City. They have a variety of pets and the kids are given a good amount of freedom in roaming their neighborhood (mostly together). Each book has a "problem" the kids try to solve on their own, to varying results. I love the relationships the kids have with each other, their parents, and their neighbors. There is a lot of love as well as kids being kids. I think I'll read these to Luke eventually! Full post back here!
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Another middle grade that I completely missed when I was actually in the target age and just read a few years ago. It is EXCELLENT and also under 200 pages so it's a very quick read. It's middle school kids being a little ornery but also, maybe learning something. I teared up at the end and I definitely wasn't expecting that. If you missed this one too, I highly recommend.
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Shall we just keep going on middle grade? This one is about a daughter of immigrants whose parents are hired to run a small hotel. This means they sleep in a room just behind the front desk since one of the parents have to be available at any point in the night. The family's lives revolve around the hotel and the semi-permanent residents play a big part in that. I really rooted for them all, especially against the motel's owner who didn't seem to be on their side. I was excited to see this has a sequel coming out later this year!
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Jumping from middle grade to grown-up reads, this one a fictionalized version of Kate Middleton and Prince William's romance with them meeting at university and eventually getting married. Except their "Kate" (named Bex) is an American as well as various other changes (also, the royals are pretty tight lipped and most of us don't know what really goes on in their lives). It is delightful and also has a sequel coming out later this year which means it's about time I reread this one again!
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
If you'd like to read about kids going through something crazy but different from our current crazy, this might be a good fit. This is another middle grade (what I am saying is that middle grade might be a really good solution if you are in a reading rut right now) about a pre-teen/early teen girl who is dealing with all THAT right as people realize the Earth's rotation is slowing. At first it's not a big deal, just a few minutes on each day, but the days keep getting longer, which is affecting schedules and then food growing and so forth. As if just being a pre-teen/early teen isn't enough to deal with (are those years anyone's favorites??). It might be refreshing to see the world kinda falling apart for different reasons than we are living right now.
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
This is YA about a meet cute between two Indian teens, where they have an arranged marriage via their parents but only one of them knows about it. I mean, good drama there. They meet at a science camp and I like that Dimple (the girl) gets to be very smart and good at what she does, I believe computer programing? (It's been a couple years since I read this.) They make a charming couple and I like the unusual meet cute.
There you go! Eleven suggestions for quarantine reading. Assuming you have time to read and have access to books. Two HUGE assumptions but it is what it is! Good luck!
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