The Best Books to Read During The Coronavirus Pandemic, According to PEOPLE Editors
“We read to know that we are not alone,” C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, once famously said. Never in modern history has that sentiment felt more true than now, as people across the globe sequester themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In celebration of the power of books, PEOPLE editors and writers share the books that they’re reading while staying at home. From memoir and apocalyptic satire to award-winning literary fiction, these books can provide readers a way to escape and feel less isolated.
“Books are a uniquely portable magic,” Stephen King explained in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Keep reading for PEOPLE editors’ favorite books.
Penguin Random House
Wow, No Thank You.: Essays by Samantha Irby
When I’m feeling lonely or can’t sleep at night, Samantha Irby is always there to make me laugh — and think. Her sharp wit and raunchy humor cover everything from the ire of home improvements to falling in love in this collection of personal essays. Wow, No Thank You. is like a long conversation with your brilliant, hilarious best friend — one you won’t want to end. —Morgan Smith, Editorial Assistant
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
There’s something about classics that is comforting during this weird time — but sometimes you want your old go-to with a twist. That’s Eligible, a 2017 modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Prep author Curtis Sittenfeld. The Bennett family instead resides in Cincinnati, and while Jane and Elizabeth are courted by Darcy and Bingley, they’re now a doctor and a Bachelor-esque reality star, respectively. —Lindsay Kimble, Senior News Editor
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
I’m a thriller novel fanatic, and this is one of the best (and spookiest!) that I’ve read in a long time. The eerie page-turner follows Jules Larsen as she stars a new job as an apartment sitter at one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious buildings known for strange disappearances. The story captured my attention from the first page and the suspense built to a sinister and shocking ending. The quick read—I finished it in one sitting!—is perfect if you’re looking for novel filled with a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns. —Kaitlyn Frey, Assistant Style & Beauty Editor
A Drinking Life by Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill’s best-selling memoir is a coming-of-age story by the eldest son of Irish immigrants in New York City. Growing up in Brooklyn during the 1940s and 50s, this NYC newspaper veteran chronicles the drinking culture and its effect on his relationships in “the neighborhood” as well as his personal and professional life. This is a wonderful read by a native New Yorker about a beloved bygone era. —Julie Farin, Director, Brand Communications/PEOPLE
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney’s acclaimed second novel follows two teenagers, from two very different backgrounds, falling in something approximating love, as they continue a delicate but complicated on/off entanglement for years. The characters became real to me, like people I valued and understood, and the book was hard to put down. Rooney draws you so tightly into Connell and Marianne’s relationship bubble that it starts feeling like YOUR bubble, too—and it was one I didn’t want to leave on the last page. —Laura Barcella, Staff Crime Editor
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Set in Seoul, South Korea—where birthrates are low and unemployment is high—this powerful debut follows the lives of five women who live in the same office-tel. Together, they navigate sexism and a beauty industry that encourages them to shave their jawlines for a smaller, more perfect face. An enthralling tale about the weight of old traumas, economic disparity and the restoring power of friendship. —Sam Gillette, Writer/Reporter, Books
Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino
Beginning with a missed connections post on Craigslist, this unique story of lost and found love provides the reader with twists and turns that blossom into a beautiful and heartwarming story. I couldn’t put this book down, and it stayed with me long after I finished. —Hannah Tashkovich, Assistant Photo Editor
Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell
A chance meeting with a retired FBI agent at the screening of a film that fictionalized the then-unsolved 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi launched the journalist Mitchell on a decades-long run to expose villains that many powerful figures conspired to keep hidden. Vividly reported by a master investigator and storyteller (who now is poking into a mysterious disappearance featured in the Netflix phenom Tiger King), Race Against Time delivers emotion and justice in equal parts. —Jeff Truesdell, Staff Writer
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
This book is the absolute ideal of “breezy but not dopey” that I always hope for in a beach read. That’s why it’s the perfect reading for right now: You don’t need to give it 100% of your brainpower, but it’s so warm, funny and engaging that you’ll want to. The characters are likable, the complications manageable and the love story sweet but not saccharine. Writing this, I’m thinking I may pick it up to read again this week. —Alex Apatoff, People.com Lifestyle Director
The Last Flight by Julie Clark
The Last Flight is a page turner! I am still thinking about the characters in the book and I finished it months ago. It tells the story of two women with very different lives who make a last minute, desperate decision to switch identities at the airport to escape their lives. But then, one of the planes crashes. The story goes back and forth between the lives of Eva and Claire. There are lots of twists and turns. It will keep you guessing. You won’t be able to put it down. —Joy Scheller, Photo Operations Associate
Ghosted by Rosie Walsh
Ghosted is such a fun mystery — I couldn’t put it down! Sarah and Eddie fall in love after spending seven wonderful days together and then… he vanishes. Who can’t relate? But the harder she tries to find Eddie, the more Sarah must dig into a painful past she’s trying to forget. You won’t see the plot twists coming. This romantic thriller is the perfect escapism. —Morgan Smith, Editorial Assistant
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
This story of a brother-sister bond illustrates how family can be an anchor through any storm. Try the audio version with Tom Hanks narrating — a delight. — Wendy Naugle, Deputy Editor
The Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick
One of the best memoirs ever written about the rituals — and rigors — of friendship in Manhattan, that humming metropolis now on lockdown. — Tom Gliatto, Editor, Picks
Severance by Ling Ma
Severance is eerily relevant and written with a sparse beauty that will make the pages fly by even though the subject matter is a sucker punch to a social distancing world. The story of a viral outbreak that infects the majority of the world’s minds, Severance will likely make you rethink what your priorities should be in times of crisis and calm. — Kelli Bender, Pets Editor
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
Tracing the courage, crimes and betrayals of real-life figures more complex and compelling than any fictional thriller’s, this acclaimed 2019 bestseller about the Troubles in Northern Ireland is one of the best-written nonfiction books I’ve read in a long time. Why spend time with a book about such violent history during our current troubles? The insights into human nature — idealistic, stubborn, yet capable of change — are timeless. — Samantha Miller, Executive Editor
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Published in 1972, Anaya’s first book remains a classic in Chicano literature. The story is about Antonio, a 6-year-old boy who meets Ultima, la curandera, or healer, who opens his eyes so he can see the beauty of his surroundings in New Mexico, as well as the spiritual roots of his culture. The themes of good vs. evil and why it exists explains why this book is a timeless classic. — Elaine Aradillas, Staff Writer
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
Escape to St. John with this tale of a woman who learns her late husband had an island home and a mistress. She copes — and finds a new normal. — Dana Rose Falcone, Staff Writer
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
While social distancing, holed up in my Maplewood, N.J. home, I’m nostalgic for roaming the streets of New York where I usually work and sometimes play — and this excellent read, with interwoven stories planted in the boroughs, has been a lovely escape. These characters dealing with family and money and family money with all the wicked ways it divides and unites, as well as chance encounters that lead to life-changing moments, feel like people I know. — Alicia Dennis, Senior Editor PEOPLE & Entertainment Weekly
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In his monumental first novel, Coates takes us to the South in the mid-1800s, where Hiram Walker is both the master’s son and a slave. Motherless, Hi finds love and family in fellow slaves Sophia and Thena. But after an accident nearly takes his life, he discovers something just as powerful: purpose in the Underground Railroad and the magic and freedom of memory. — Sam Gillette, Writer/Reporter, Books
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Olympic-runner-turned WWII-pilot Louis Zamperini begins an odyssey of endurance after his plane crashes into the ocean. An inspiring true story about resilience. — Elaine Aradillas, Staff Writer
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
When our appealing if aimless narrator Lillian hears from old school frenemy Madison, she can’t help but come running. Lillian agrees to nanny Madison’s step-children after the death of their mother. Ten-year-old twins Bessie and Roland are — no room to be metaphorical about this: They burst into flames when agitated. They don’t burn, but everything around them does, including Wilson’s often funny and incandescent prose. — Allison Adato, Editor, PEOPLE Special Editions
Free Food For Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Very rarely do I get to throw myself into a book that makes me feel so seen. Through protagonist Casey Han, Min Jin Lee perfectly articulates what it feels like to find yourself battling between two cultures as you try to navigate young adult life in New York City. Free Food for Millionaires is beautifully written and filled with characters you will love, hate and learn from. — Diane J. Cho, Features Editor
Random House
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Written in the style of an oral history, this breezy read about a legendary ‘70s rock band and the ill-fated love story that led to its untimely split will have you combing through the Rolling Stone archives double-checking whether Daisy Jones and the Six was actually a real band. (It’s not, but it sure does draw inspiration from definitely real bands like Fleetwood Mac.) Get it read before it hits the small screen as an upcoming Amazon Prime miniseries. — Rachel DeSantis, Writer/Reporter
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Reid’s sparkling debut explores the lives of 25-year-old Emira Tucker, who is black, and Alix Chamberlain, the white mom who hires Emira as a babysitter. The women negotiate that tricky relationship smoothly until the night Emira is confronted at a local store and accused of kidnapping the Chamberlains’ daughter. Emira wants to forget the incident; Alix can’t stop trying to make up for it. An entertaining tale with plenty to say about race, human connection and the pitfalls of good intentions. — Sam Gillette, Writer/Reporter, Books
