Reading is the best medicine, and it makes us smarter, exercises the brain and can serve as great friends during this time of loneliness, according to betterreading.com. If one is looking for a productive pastime during quarantine, a good book could be the perfect pick up.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

As a #1 New York Times Bestseller, the young adult fiction and high fantasy book “Carry On” by Rainbow Rowell tells the story of one of the worst chosen ones to ever be chosen. The book features magic, an LGBTQ+ relationship, teenage conflict and more.

“Carry On is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell novel — but far, far more monsters,” Rowell said on her website, rainbowrowell.com.

The book is available on iBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indie Bound, according to rainbowrowell.com. Occasionally, Rowell also sells signed books on her website.

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

With five starred reviews, “A List of Cages” is one of Amazon’s #1 Best Sellers. According to reviews on the site, this book is leaving remarkable impacts on the young adult population. It is a choice of fiction and a Gateway Readers Award Nominee for 2019-2020.

“A remarkably gripping and moving tale of a life saved—in more than one way—by the power of friendship,” Emma Donoghue said, New York Times best-selling author of Room.

The book is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo and Kepler’s Books, according to robinroewriter.com. “A List of Cages” is one of the Best Young Adult Books of the Year, according to goodreads.com.

What Should We Be Worried About?: Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night by John Brockman

A book of nonfiction, “What Should We Be Worried About?: Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night” by John Brockman exposes the thoughts of modern days’ thinkers on whether the fears people are facing are a false threat or a real worry. Brockman has been called “the man who owns the smartest website” by theguardian.com and an “Agent Provocateur” by wired.com.

“From a cohort of highly influential people … you will be surprised, you will learn a lot, and indeed, you will have a higher quality of things to worry about,” says Kirkus Reviews.

The book is available on Amazon, Audible and the Google Play Book Store. More responses to the question can be found on John Brockman’s website, edge.org.

If unable to access an online library, e-books or amazon to order physical copies, there are alternatives to getting a quarantine reading fix. A group of seven BookTubers are hosting silent Group Readings on Zoom, according to nbc.com. Each weekday, the group takes turns hosting one hour sessions of silent readings, at different times a day, so that a wider audience can be reached.

Three books I read during quarantine. Photo provided by Maisy Garrison.