Ashley's Pandemic Reading List
I've been fairly quiet on the website for nearly two weeks now. Like many of you, I've been scrambling to make preparations to quarantine due to COVID-19. My quarantine started earlier than most, since asthma puts me in the at-risk category. It's slowly grown quieter and quieter on the road just beyond my balcony as I've watched my city shut down. We finally received our shelter-in-place order on March 24, 2020.
We're all home now, in my city and many others. Many of us have extra time on our hands or extra kids to entertain and very little energy to figure out what to do about either. Books, to me, seem to be the obvious answer to this surplus. Upcoming on the website you'll see several guest posts and podcasts offering ideas about reading in the time of pandemic. We'll talk poetry and novels, and possibly even a play or two.
To lead off, I've put together a list of seven books I love. This list is my attempt to help you build your activity list for the next few weeks. Some of these books will get you moving, some will help you occupy your kids, and some will support your inner work. None of these one-paragraph reviews are of the usual depth you find on this blog—my purpose here is to quickly let you know what you'll find in the book and why I recommend it. Whatever your needs, my hope is that everyone can find a book that complements their frame of mind in this incredibly difficult life-moment.
The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher L. Heuertz
You’ve probably heard about the enneagram by now. There are tests out there on the internet you can take to "find your number" and most of them entirely miss the point: the enneagram requires intense self-exploration, not data from a test. I got into the enneagram years ago, and by now I've read about ten books on the subject. This is the best one by far. It argues for the foundational role of centering prayer, the examen, and the welcoming prayer in human growth. If you're atheist or aspiritual, you may not be interested in this book, and there are other enneagram books out there that might suit you better. But if you're spiritual in any way, I cannot recommend this book enough. Particularly interesting in light of this current moment is that this book leans into loss as an inevitable occurrence. Heuertz suggests that loss and the ebbs and flows of life can be dealt with in a more healthy way by leaning into the contemplative practices he outlines through the lens of the enneagram. You can find out more about the author and his work at Gravity on their website.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
I read this book in a time of my life that was truly dark. It was exactly the right period for me to enjoy sinking into a depressing dream state for 20 pages a day—kind of like right now. Some people don't like to go dark when the world around them is dark. If that's you, definitely skip this book. But for those who don't mind a good wallow when things get tough, I'd say this very dreamy story may be just the thing to help you surface your pandemic emotions. Murakami is a master of magic realism. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
We're all looking for something to do right now. If you're like my friend Julia, you're throwing yourself into baking and cooking. Samin Nosrat's book is not just full of tasty recipes, it's the cooking textbook you never knew you needed. Right now is the perfect time to dive in and learn something new. Even though my diet's been completely overhauled due to Celiac disease, I still use her tips on salt nearly every time I cook. When you're done with the book, check out her Netflix series. It's a wonderful trip around the world right from the comfort of your isolation couch.
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
I treasure my library bound hardback copy of Winnie the Pooh, complete with color plates, from my childhood. Your kids may know Pooh Bear from TV, but have you ever read them the original book? Now is the right moment. Even if you're not corralling kids at home from school right now, I think this story is a lovely break from reality in times of loss. Milne's uplifting messages can help us recall in vivid detail a more communal life. And we all need a safe space in our imaginations to run to right now—why not the Hundred-Acre Wood?
10% Happier by Dan Harris
If you're looking to pick up a hobby, now is a great time to try meditation, and yes, I'm fully aware this is the second book on my list related to that topic. I truly believe it's that important for building resiliency. I read 10% Happier about the same time that I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and both books marked for me the beginning of my own path of self-exploration. This book avoids spirituality and so-called fluff, focusing instead on the science of meditation and why it works. The author, Dan Harris, posits that if it can make a skeptic like him 10% happier, it will probably work for you too.
Stuffed Fables by Fantasy Flight Publishing
Stuffed Fables is not a book. Well, yes it is. Kind of. This is a storybook board game where the book becomes your player board and you choose your own narrative adventure. This game is geared at young kids, teaching them moral choices and basic board game rules. But my fully-adult brother and I have this on our shelf too and have never played it with a child. We still love it. If you're looking for a way to occupy your kids or just want to try something new for yourself and a partner, this is a really fun way to spend an hour or two.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
If there was ever a time to get into a series, this is most certainly it. Here I'm suggesting one of my favorites from childhood, thinking of all the newly homeschooler families out there. Read it to your own kids, read it yourself, or read it over FaceTime with the kids in your life you can't see in person right now. It's a lovely fantasy series that will make you and your listeners laugh out loud. It's just different enough from Harry Potter and Tolkien stories to make you feel like you've discovered something brand-new. More importantly, it's just magical enough to help you escape from this current moment.
Where to Find Books in the Time of Pandemic
It's especially important to stop and talk about this in light of our current societal restrictions. Don’t go out to a bookstore right now and wander the aisles, it’s not the right time. Now’s the time for curbside pick up or online ordering, without a doubt and it’s especially the time to consider supporting your local bookstores right now. Many local bookstores around the country have had to close their doors but are still available online through shipping or e-book purchases.
In the next few days, you'll see similar posts from other voices who have very different tastes than me. Some people deal with tragedy by escaping into big, fat fantasy novels or even poetry, neither of which made my list above. I'm excited to hear from these other readers about the books they love—I hope you'll see a glimpse of their soul in their choices. And more pertinently for this wild moment we're living through, I hope you'll find a new book to treasure long after these quarantine days are a distant memory.
