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So Many Books: What We’re Reading During the Pandemic
By Patricia Corrigan
Have you explored Daphne's back story in "Bridgerton: The Duke and I" by Julia Quinn? Hailed Sportcoat's persistence in James McBride's "Deacon King Kong?" Grieved with the boy's family in Maggie O'Farrell's "Hamnet?" Climbed into bed many an evening with Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache?
There’s no doubt that books have been keeping us company during the pandemic.
"People are looking for tools to help them get through these uncertain times," said Judith Curr, president and publisher of HarperOne Group, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.
Curr recommended readers curl up with "Just As I Am," the new memoir by the late actress Cicely Tyson. "Big memoirs of lives well lived touch us, and Cicely Tyson lived an extraordinary life, one with guiding principles and purpose," Curr said. Looking for a volume full of heart? Curr is enthusiastic about "The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse," a bestselling illustrated book by British artist and author Charlie Mackesy. A reviewer in The Washington Post called it "a sweet tale rendered in swirly black calligraphy and watercolor," with universal messages. Due to an increased demand for books on racial justice last summer, Chicago librarian Stephen Sposato reported that such titles as "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi, "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo and "Caste" by Isabel Wilkerson "shot up in popularity."
Other genres did as well: "With people experiencing more restricted routines, we've also seen a renewed sense of appreciation for books on nature and the environment, such as Helen Macdonald's ‘Vesper Flights.’”
And some readers, Sposato noted, have turned to the classics, "older books people always meant to read" or favorites from childhood.
Looking for Ideas?
The Salt Path: A Memoir by Raynor Winn Always Home by Fanny Singer (Chef Alice Waters’ daughter) The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era by Thomas Schatz Quite a Year for Plums by Bailey White Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times by David S. Reynolds
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