Reading Recommendations for the Self-Isolated

Things are a little scary right now. Even if you're not in a high-risk group for COVID-19, you probably know someone who is. And if you're one of the millions of people who are self-isolating, you might find yourself in need of a distraction. There are worse things you could do than pick up a book. And yes, I know that going to the bookstore or library isn't in the spirit of self-isolation, but if you can take advantage of it, most libraries give members access to ebooks and audiobooks. Also, this is a good chance to tackle some of the books in your to-read pile.

Anyway, let's get this show on the road:

What's your self-isolation reading, Lucas?

Thanks for asking, I'm reading:

Unnatural Magic by C.M. Waggoner. It's about a young woman who discovers an aptitude for magic in a roughly 18th/19th century Europe type of fantasy world. It's also about a young troll who rescues and befriends a human soldier after he deserts his unit that's on a sort of punitive expedition following a massacre of a human village. Yep, it's another one of those social commentary fantasy novels that I enjoy. It's pretty good so far.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Specifically, "The Knight's Tale" it's a chivalric romance about two Theban knights competing for the affections of an Amazon in Duke Theseus' wedding entourage. It's in Middle English, so maybe not for everyone, but there are Modern English translations available.

But what should I read?

So, let's just get some generalities out of the way. It's an excellent time to catch up on any classics or long books you've been putting off. Also, I'll just give a blanket recommendation to the books I've covered in Simplified Series and A Year of Unfortunate Events. Cause, you know, series'll keep you occupied for a while. I'll also recommend any of the books I've deemed "fan-fucking-tastic." Now, let's get to stuff that I haven't covered on the blog.

Do you want to steer into the skid?

That's right, there's a wealth of fiction about riding out the consequences of a pandemic, here are two that I've enjoyed in recent years.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - This National Book Award Finalist cuts back and forth between the beginning of a deadly flu pandemic and the scattered communities of survivors twenty years later. Instead of focusing on action or heroics, the Mandel a troupe of traveling performers struggling to maintain the memories of lost cultural artifacts in the face of global collapse. Mandel's a hell of a writer and her beautiful prose contributes to the picture she creates of a grim but hopeful future.

The Fireman  by Joe Hill - Oddly enough, also a story about a pandemic with a focus on art and music. The Fireman features an outbreak of an infectious fungus that causes spontaneous human combustion, seemingly due to emotional distress. It's got kind of a Stephen King vibe and was written by Stephen King's son. In any case, this takes place almost entirely within the period of the outbreak and is also about finding hope in the midst of chaos.

Do you want a nice, long distraction from the current situation?

Maybe you want a book that will last you a good long time that has nothing to do with a deadly pandemic, I don't blame you. Here are a couple of long books that I've found worthwhile.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell  by Susanna Clarke - This 2005 Hugo Award Winner is something that might appeal to fantasy and historical fiction readers alike. It's set during the Napoleonic Wars where the title characters work together and separately to restore a magical tradition that was cut short when the Raven King, John Uskglass disappeared from his kingdom in the north of Britain. It covers themes of hubris, sex, class, and race while constructing an alternate history that's enhanced by copious footnotes. And yes, it is pretty dorky.

We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen - I've described this book as a bit of a Danish One Hundred Years of Solitude which is partially correct as it does involve a bit of Magic Realism, but is also partially incorrect since it's about a country that had colonies rather than being about a country living under colonialism. That said, it is an interesting trip through Danish history from the 1800s to WWII and involves a lot of colorful characters getting into nautical shenanigans.

Like comic books?

That's right, we'll throw some comic books in there for kicks.

Showa 1923-1989 by Shigeru Mizuki - This massive history of contemporary Japan (published in English translation in four volumes) follows both the history of Japan during the reign of the Emperor Showa (known in the West by his given name of Hirohito) and the life of its creator. The biographical portions are rendered in a cartoony style that might strike some as irreverent but which conveys an idiosyncratic charm, while the historical portions are often rendered with photographic detail (or with tracing over actual photographs). It offers a clear, sober accounting of the history of Japan in the time before, during, and after the Second World War (including documentation of war crimes committed by the Imperial Military in general and by Mizuki's brother specifically). It also has fascinating insights into the development of manga as a medium.

Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki - Yeah, another manga, this is available in seven paperback volumes or a two-hardcover box set. Miyazaki started writing the manga in the early 80s to serve as the basis for one of his first films as a director, and it has everything: badass female protagonist, badass female antagonist, mechs, ecological disasters, adorable animal sidekicks, and, of course, beautiful artwork.

Want to read a nonfiction book that will make you mad?

That's right, sometimes you need to read a nonfiction book that will get you good and mad about something. Here's one that I'd highly recommend.

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi - I'm sure we can all agree with the anodyne proposition that racism is bad. That's not what this book is about, instead Kendi is interested in getting to the heart of what racism is and how it's operated throughout the history of the United States. More specifically, he examines the development of "scientific" racism in the Enlightenment, and how those ideas have been used to justify slavery, Jim Crow laws, segregation, disenfranchisement, cuts to social services, and various other forms of discrimination and disenfranchisement. This rightly won the National Book Award for nonfiction. But it also features frank discussion of the horrors committed in US History and the justifications given for those horrors.

Want to read a nonfiction book that will make you happy?

Want some laughs from an eccentric nonfiction book? I've got you covered:

The Rector and the Rogue by W.A. Swanberg - This is the story all about how a clergyman's life got flip-turned upside-down when a prankster calling himself Gentleman Joe undertook a campaign of harassment via ridiculous pranks. If you want a story about unravelling the mystery of a malevolent prankster in old-time New York, Swanberg's got you covered.

So yeah, I think that's it for today, in the meantime, wash your hands, don't touch your face, and stay home if possible.