Books to Read During Quarantine

The new year is meant to bring with it a glimmer of hope for a better life. For a lot of us, it means new promises reinforced with plans to become the best versions of ourselves. Yet our 2020 vision has turned somewhat blurry. As we find ourselves in these uncertain times, we are almost desperate to seek a semblance of normalcy in our daily routines at home. For me, I find my solace in books. That's why I think it's only appropriate to share a few books I truly loved reading and highly recommend. 

Book # 1: The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See 

As a Southeast Asian, I've always enjoyed reading books with Asian culture predominantly featured (The Good Earth, Crazy Rich Asians, etc.). That's why I was excited about this story, which accurately paints the culture of a Chinese minority tribe. As I read about the protagonist, Li-Yan, and her tea village's customs, I was shocked at their questionable and somehow nonsensical ways of life! They have the strictest rules and harshest punishments for those who disobey them. It gets all the more interesting when Li-Yan's life meets a pivotal point. She abandons tradition and is forced to venture into the outside world. TTGOHL highlights familial bonds, our world's rich diversity in culture, and the ever-changing times we live in. And somehow, the author was able to weave the story around a key ingredient: tea. My favorite. 

Book # 2: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

Beautifully written. I'd liken this book to Harry Potter or The Way of Kings insofar as the superb fantasy world-building! It's amazing how the author was able to whip up such an intricate story with colorful characters, kingdoms at war, and dragons... YES, dragons! Admittedly, I initially had to flip back on some pages when I forgot names or places. Perhaps that's just bad memory on my end. However, as I delved deeper into the book, the characters and places started to get etched into my memory. Be warned, it's a commitment to read a book that's almost a thousand pages. This one though, is worth the journey. I don't want to give away too much the plot. I found that it was much more riveting to dive into this book without knowing anything about it. All you need to know is that The Priory of the Orange Tree is definitely in my top 10s.

Book # 3: The Woman In the Window by A.J Finn

I cannot tell you how long I wanted to check this book off my TBR list! This psychological thriller invoked a range of emotions: confusion, shock, and even annoyance (yes, I was annoyed at the protagonist). All in all, it definitely met my expectations of a thriller novel. It's written in the perspective of Anna Fox, a middle-aged woman strictly staying within the confines of her home due to agoraphobia, her fear of the outside. Although Anna lives a private life, she surely doesn't respect other people's privacy. She spies on her neighbors through her camera (very creepy, I know). Paying the price for being nosy, she is the only one who witnesses a murder across her home. Yet, in a very boy-who-cried-wolf fashion, her neighbors and the police refuse to believe her. The book is so well-written that I wasn't even sure if I believed her. A must-read, I'm telling you!

Book # 4: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Based on what I've read online, Agatha Christie currently holds the title for the world's best-selling author of all time. What a crazy yet amazing feat! That's why I admonished myself for not having read a single AC book until recently. Although the writing style is definitely dated, I was already hooked by the plot of this cozy mystery (a sub genre of murder mystery collectively called "cozies"). There's a killer, yes. And yet, EVERYONE DIES in the end. In the author's notes, AC admitted that it was a challenge to write such a story and to keep the killer anonymous until the very end. Some of you may Sherlock your way into knowing the murderer's identity mid-story. I had my suspicions but honestly never would have accurately predicted that book's ending. It's a great read to get your mind working on a slow day.

Book # 5: Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin

Admittedly, I just started reading this book recently. Even though I am only a few chapters in, I can already tell that the author did her research before writing and publishing this guided handbook (well, I may also know this since she cited her many reference in the intro). I heavily rely on facts when it comes to making decisions, which is why I appreciate a self-help book that is so well-researched and thought through. Habits are definitely the building blocks to your future. Especially during quarantine, we should make use of our extra time to cultivate habits we deem helpful in living our best life. I certainly will give it a try.

There you have it. Five amazing books. Five amazing ways to escape. As my Goodreads bio goes: "I'm just a girl attempting to visit as many worlds as I can through the books I read". The sweetest escape I've found is in books. If you're anything like me, I highly recommend that you pick up a book, grab a cup of your favorite tea, and start reading!