If you're feeling sad/bored/lonely/panicked since the outbreak of COVID-19, you're not alone. To get through these difficult times, we're going to do what we always do – read great books. Here's some of our fiction, non-fiction and children's books, suggested by our team, to help you with your time indoors.
Adam, Publicity and Marketing Manager
The Eighth Life, Nino Haratischvili (trans. Charlotte Collins, Ruth Martin)
If you need something to really immerse yourself in so you can mentally get away from the kids or the flatmates for a bit, look no further than The Eighth Life. You’ve got a bit of time to yourself, so spend it with this 950-page epic and get swept away to 20th century Georgia, where one family are buffeted around by the winds of history across five generations. It's big, bold, grownup escapism — you'll care about its characters as if they were real people, and even when their stories aren't always happy, they're always absolutely gripping.
Molly, Editorial and Publicity Manager
The End of Epidemics, Dr Jonathan D. Quick
Two years ago, we published The End of Epidemics by Dr Jonathan D. Quick, one of the world’s leading experts on epidemics and pandemics. It in, he describes seven steps that must be taken globally to end epidemics for good — and how this can be achieved for less than $1 per person per year. His level-headedness and expertise is exactly what is needed right now to counteract all the panic and fake news, and I will be re-reading it to remind myself of what I as an ordinary person can do to prevent this ever happening again.
Sophie, Digital Sales and Marketing Coordinator
Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder, Alom Shaha
Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder is full of fun science experiments that you can do with your kids with stuff you would find around the house. Just imagine you are the host of Blue Peter and maybe make special achievement badges out of surplus holiday brochures and plane tickets. Some of the experiments use a loo roll tubes which you may or may not have hundreds of just lying around your house that you once very calmly bought ages ago. This book is great for primary school ages kids who love to learn in a hands-on manner.
Sarah, Managing Director
Aware, Daniel J. Siegel/ The Gift of Presence, Caroline Welch
I am returning to mindfulness in a big way at the moment and really trying to develop a regular discipline after years of dipping in and out. I'll be using two books to support this - Aware which lays out a detailed practise called the Wheel of Awareness, and The Gift of Presence, which looks at how we can try and build mindfulness into our daily lives with greater success.
Philip, Publisher-at-Large
Insomnia, Marina Benjamin
Many of you won’t be able to sleep so well these days, so I recommend Marina Benjamin’s subtle, sinuous study of Insomnia, which, among other virtues, can help you find ways to make insomnia work for you creatively.
Aoife, Publicity and Marketing Executive
Greenwood, Michael Christie
It might seem weird to pick a novel about the destruction of the natural world as choice reading right now, but Greenwood by Michael Christie is a totally immersive, beautiful work of storytelling. Beginning in 2038, in one of the world’s last remaining forests, this multigenerational epic moves from the future to the present to the past and back again, telling the extraordinary story of the Greenwood family. The characters are so vivid and well-drawn that I was audibly weeping when things went wrong for them. Plus, the gorgeous descriptions of tall, ancient woodland will be a welcome escape from the confines of your home.
Masooma, Publishing Assistant
The Master Plan, Chris Wilson
Many of us might be eager to use our new abundance of time for self-improvement, in which case, I would recommend reading The Master Plan. In his memoir, Chris Wilson describes not only his struggles in a flawed criminal justice system, but also invaluable techniques and thought processes he developed whilst incarcerated that allowed him to shape a life of meaning and success.
