Carie’s Quarantine Reading List

Here’s a list of books to read during the apocalypse social distancing due to the Coronavirus. There’s something here for everyone.

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1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

If you aren’t freaking out enough about COVID-19, read this science fiction novel about a pandemic that wipes out most of the world.

2. Greenglass House by Kate Milford

If you’re freaking out too much about COVID-19, read this heart-warming middle grade mystery about a family snowed in at their cozy, ramshackle inn with several intriguing guests. Read my full review of this wonderful book here.

3. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Another heart-warming hotel story. This beautiful novel about a man who spends forty years in house arrest in a hotel is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it.

4. The Shining by Stephen King

If you like hotels, but heart-warming isn’t your thing, read this very different story of a family snowed in at a large, haunted hotel. Read my post about this awesome horror novel here.

5. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Constance and Merricat are pros at social distancing. This unsettling book from the POV of that “weird house” in the neighborhood stayed with me long after I read it.

6. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

From Goodreads: “Days stretch into weeks, the weeks into months. Joined by no common language except music, the 58 international hostages and their captors forge unexpected bonds.” If you’re stuck in a foreign country or experiencing an unexpectedly extended vacation, check out this beautifully-written novel about a non-voluntary shelter-in-place scenario.

7. Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White

This dystopian YA novel takes a look at the future of remote learning. Spoiler alert: It involves reenactments of historical tragedies and kids unknowingly having cameras inserted into their eyes to film their plight for the world.