If you’ve fallen under the monotonous spell of quarantine, and one day has been spilling into the next and you have run out of shows to watch on Netflix then there’s no other pleasurable past-time than delving into a good book. Below I have compiled of literary treasures to help keep your mind distracted during the quarantine.
- “GIRL IN PIECES” by Kathleen Glasgow
Charlie is a tortured artist and has only known the pain and comfort found in the shards of glass that she used to pierce her skin. Creating a map of tangible scars to numb the invisible ones that hurt the most. And with every new scar, Charlie’s heart hardens just a little more. Almost enough to not care anymore, which could be what it takes for Charlie to pull herself back from the ledge.
While the novel contains many gritty themes, such as self-harm, it’s vulnerability and a chronicle writing style that mirrors that of diary entries is what makes the book so enthralling to readers about the power of an artist’s expression. Fans of Ellen Hopkins will devour this book for the kindred ability that both authors share to shed light on mental health issues in such a realistic way.
2. “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
Have you ever had the feeling that someone was placed into your life for a specific reason? To teach you a crucial life lesson, or to bestow a piece of lasting wisdom that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. Maybe it was a grandparent, a teacher, or a peer. Someone who was older, had a wealth of patience and wisdom to share with the world, and who understood you when you were naive. This person has undoubtedly helped you see the world in a new light, and imparted to you some sound advice as you attempt to navigate through it.
For sports journalist, Mitch Albom, this person was Morrie Schwartz; a college professor from nearly 20 years ago. Morrie saw something in Albom when he was a freshman in college, and proceeded to take him under his wing for the next four years. They were reunited years later, after Albom was flicking through the channels and happened to see his distinguished professor on a late-night talk show.
Morrie Schwartz was dying. The professor that had spent the majority of his life standing at the front of a lecture-hall teaching America’s youth, was now frail and had difficulty taking a few steps from his living room recliner.
The valuable insights that Morrie had once given Albom had begun to fade, as he had made his way into the world and realized how cold it can be. Even if he was only subconsciously aware of it, he was yearning for a second chance to reconnect with his mentor. And through a chance of fate, Albom was granted the opportunity.
Aware of his failing health, Albom visited with Morrie every Tuesday in his study, just like he had done decades ago when he was in college. The pair’s rekindled friendship then turns into one documented “final” class; where Morrie discusses poignant lessons on how to live, and the overwhelming fragility of life’s innately beautiful and painful moments, spoken in Morrie’s final days.
“Tuesdays with Morrie” was Mitch Albom’s debut novel, and is nothing shy of a modern American classic. Albom’s admiration for Morrie is incredibly touching through his reverence with documenting the professor’s final lessons with prophetic and stubborn honesty that is meant to serve as a guide for the living.
3. “The Lost” by Natasha Preston
In a town, where nothing exciting ever happens, a series of disappearances begin to take place. Everyone assumes that they’re just a bunch of runaways, but is that just an impeccably orchestrated plan to distract from the truly sinister events taking place at the town’s edge? “The Lost” by Wattpad sensation, Natasha Preston, is compiled with so many intricate twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter to the chaotic ending that you never saw coming.
When Piper arrives at the party, she meets Caleb who instantly charms her with his wit, good looks and elusive nature. When Caleb offers Piper and Hazel a ride home, Piper, consumed in the giddiness that a guy is actually interested in her, completely fails to recognize the warning signs until it’s too late. Rather than bringing them home, Caleb takes the girls to his house at the edge of town. Piper and Hazel enter into the game room, unaware of the dangers lurking in the rooms in the corridors. Furthermore, that the boy with the captivating charm could inflict a terror, so pure, you might lose yourself in the process.
The building isn’t just designed to keep them and the other missing teenagers locked away, but each room that they are called into becomes a test for survival. And there are some who have had to fight to the death. Piper gets summoned into a room first, where her limits and sanity are pushed to the brink. Hazel has become withdrawn, just when Piper needs her the most. But Piper refuses to accept defeat to Caleb and his psychopath friends who watch the cameras that litter the common room, their only safe place, while they find pleasure in witnessing their fear.
4. “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur
Rupi Kaur’s self-published debut poetry collection, quickly rose to the New York Times bestselling list upon its release in 2014. Her work thoroughly revolutionized modern-day people’s concept of poetry; a genre that is arguably becoming obsolete. Kaur’s “Milk and Honey” changed that. Not only has the raw emotion and captivating imagery in her poems proven the cathartic power that expressing thoughts through an obscure form can have, but also that poetry is still very much relevant to the 21st century.
The poems are separated into four chapters: the hurting, the living, the breaking, the healing. Similar to other forms of art, poetry is both subjective and intimate. Each of her poems have a purpose and message, for herself, but also her audience. As she poignantly discusses haunting and beautiful experiences that she has faced and in some cases, overcome, she subtly encourages readers to glean from her experiences.
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