Isolation reading recommendations

[SorchaMumsnet]

Hi all

If you're self-isolating, or indeed just spending a lot more time at home now, what are you currently/planning on reading and why?

We're creating a page with recommendations so would love your help - whether you're doing any of the following (or something completely different):

-Seeking out time-appropriate dystopian reads (ie Station Eleven mentioned on this topic already)?
-Steering clear of that and plumping for escapism/light reads?
-Deciding it's time to tackle that 600-pager you've been putting off?

All the best, and happy reading

MNHQ

Both Ken Follet(Pillars of the Earth) and CJ Sansom ( Shardlake series) are great, meaty reads which will draw you back in time.

I've just collated a list of fantasy authors for someone else:

Joe Abercrombie
Terry Pratchett
Guy Gavriel Kay
Robin Hobb
Anne McCaffrey - has dragons apparently.
Susanna Clarke
Lynn Flewelling- The Tamir trilogy

Tad Williams - Memory, Sorrow & Thorn series

David Gemmel
Naomi Novik
NK Jemisin
Robin McKinley
Tamsyn Muir
Brandon Sanderson
Raymond E Feist - Start with The Magician which is the first book in the Riftwar Series. Book 2 is Silverthorn and book 3 is A Darkness at Sethanon. The next 3 books, The Empire series, are written from the perspective of the other side of the Riftwar.

RA Salvatore's Drizzt series

Gosh thanks for the thread.
Just enjoyed
Ruth Ware- The death of Mrs Galloway
Jane Casey- Cruel Acts
I love a good page turner

I'm re-Reading Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies before I start The Mirror and the Light 😁

Ann Cleeves - the Shetland series
Rosie Thomas - The Kashmir Shawl
Elizabeth Kostova - The Historian

I'm currently reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

But my favourite books so far this year are :

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Lincoln In The Bardo by George Saunders
Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier
and
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Rake’s Progress by Rachel Johnson- listened to it in one day while doing other things.

I'm thinking of rereading How I Live Now (Meg Rosoff).

I've just read The Foundling by Stacey Halls for my book club and loved it.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton was good too.

For cheering me up: anything by Jasper Fforde, A walk in the woods (Bill Bryson)
For gripping escapism: David Baldacci esp the Amos Decker series tho King & Maxwell also great
For brilliant writing: I love Sarah Moss, Ali Smith, John Irving, Kate Atkinson
For learning stuff: just started Mindfulness-based CBT workbook, also got Daniel Levitin's The Organised Mind to try.

I'm in the mood for real-life stuff from WWII to remind me how much worse it could be!

Currently reading Few Eggs and No Oranges by Vere Hodgson, diaries of the war years in London.

I think troubled times call for a series to help you through, you get to know the characters well and see them develop, and the well established themes, settings, in-jokes etc are comforting. Some of my favourite series are
Aubrey/Maturin by Patrick O’Brian about life in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Dark Tower by S King, absolutely stunning! The ultimate Quest!
Marcus Corvinus by David Wishart, Roman detective on chatting terms with Livia, Tiberius, Claudius amongst others. Although there are murders, there is little blood or gore!
Another vote for the Shardlake series, I’ll be finishing Dissolution tonight.

I've got The Wonder Years down off the shelf which is set in Eyam during the plague. I remember finding it very moving when I originally read it so will arm myself with a box of tissues for re-reading it now (actually, perhaps a towel as I might need the tissues for other things if the loo roll crisis continues!)

I'm reading 11 22 63 by Stephen King

Time travel novel based on the JFK assassination.

Nice and chunky (700ish pages) but without being too taxing and quite pacey. I'm tired and pregnant so easily defeated at the moment!

I've had Wolf Hall on the shelf for a while so might finally give that a fair shake as it's always highly recommended on these threads.

All The Light We Cannot See is fantastic as well. WW2 novel, which I don't normally go for but I devoured it!

@ cobwebsoncornices I love Year of Wonders. I first heard about Eyam when I was in primary school and was so impressed by their bravery. A bit different from some of the behaviour we've seen over the last couple of weeks.

Rather than a single book, can I recommend signing up to your local library ebook service, if you don't use it already? It's great for having a library's worth of books without having to leave the house!

But I can also recommend The Gallows Pole as a absorbing read, set in historic West Yorkshire. Also recommend Little by Edward Carey as a fictionalised story of Madame Tussaud's life. My copy is full of beautiful illustrations too. I don't really see either book recommended much on Mumsnet, but they really should be!

The rise and fall of Becky Sharp a modern re-telling of Vanity Fair by Sarra Manning chick lit but pretty good so far!

I love Sophie Kinsella and Kate Morton

Leanne Moriarty and Kate Macintosh also good reads

Also reading The Testaments. Got a pile of books by my bed and for once am wondering if I have enough

Going to look up the Ruth Ware book.

Someone at work recommended Ghost Wall and The Binding so may look for those too.

And I loved 'How I Live Now' so may reread. Thanks for reminder of this wonderful book.

I'm not into particular authors I just love a good murder especially 'Who Dunits' and serial killers. I have a kindle for which I pay subscription for kindle unlimited and download 10 books at a time . These usually last approximately 2 weeks and then I order my next 10. Granted , some are rubbish so I just delete them but most I really enjoy. I definitely get my money's worth

Full Agatha Christie collection here that I normally read on the lawn in summer, great to whiz through one a day. I just read The Haunting of Hill House which was amazing but it's such a psychological creep out that it might not be best for being shut in.

I always love Anne Tyler for a well written slow read, but Lianne Moriarty for a page turner. I'm reading The Mirror and the Light (Hilary Mantel) myself but finding it slow going as I can't remember what happened in the last two books and I'm not rereading those. It's beautifully written so I just need to spend some time on it instead of reading it at bedtime!