Now that the weather is getting colder and people are heading inside to spend the majority of their time, it is the perfect time to work on that list of books you’ve been meaning to start. If you need some more books to add to that list or are looking for some reads to kill some time, here is a list of five books to relieve your quarantine boredom.
1. El amor en los tiempos de cólera (Love in the Time of Cholera) by Gabriel García Márquez is a novel written about the quarantine in the cholera outbreak in Colombia during the late 1800s to early 1900s. This story is a classic tale of two young lovers separated by distance and disapproving parents. They swear to be true to each other, but soon grow to be strangers and the girl marries another. Throughout his days, the boy tries to keep his love for his beloved alive but falls into affairs with other women. This story is one of heartache and fidelity, a hope that love can survive time and space.
2. An American Sickness, written by Elisabeth Rosenthal, is about the healthcare system and how it became a business. As a former doctor now made lawyer, she observes how the system overtime became more interested in your money than your well-being. She does not leave the reader with only despair, but a solution to the problems. She teaches the necessary skills to navigate doctor-patient relationships and save money from unnecessary treatments. In this day and age, especially for us college students, a penny saved is a penny earned.
3. Children of Blood and Bone is a thrilling adult fantasy novel from Tomi Adeyemi about a girl living in the fictional world of Orïsha. An ode to her Nigerian roots and a response to police brutality and racism, Adeyemi creates a fantastical world of the enslaved magical maji and the non-magical kosidán. A trio sets out to bring magic back to the maji so they will have the power to overthrow their oppressors. This book is just the first in a trilogy, and the second book Children of Virtue and Vengeance is out now, so this will keep you busy for a while.
4. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by legendary author Haruki Murakami is told in three parts, following narrator Toru Okada, who is tasked to find his wife’s missing cat. This simple action results in an amazing journey for the mundane life that he has led so far, pushing him into other adventures and changing his life forever. This winding and sometimes confusing story will boggle your mind, but keep you wanting more.
5. In Animal Farm, George Orwell writes a satirical allegory of some farm animals that decide their farmer is not doing enough for them and it is time for the animals to be in charge. They agree on a fair and equal society, but all that soon changes when one pig starts to slowly take all the power for himself, instating a dictatorship. This entertaining story is a sober warning of dictatorships and how easy it is to follow the crowd; as well as how to guard freedoms and fight for the right to have your voice heard.
If you have a library card, a good way to read these books is in the ebook format from your local library. You can download the Overdrive or Libby app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your library card so you can borrow books and read on your electronic devices.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.