Friday, April 10, 2020

Top 5 Books To Read During The Lockdown Period

I am a book worm (or maybe a book dinosaur, if only there was such a term!). I read when I am happy, I read when I feel not so happy, I read when I am angry, I read when I am calm, basically I read whenever possible. Do you like reading as well? Are they your favorite companion in this lockdown period? Here goes my top 5 books for this confinement period. These books talk about Isolation, Quarantine, Virus, Survival and most importantly about Life.


Inferno by Dan Brown


This is the fourth book featuring Robert Langdon. Though I still prefer 'Angels and the Demons' and 'The Da Vinci Code' from the Langdon series, yet this one seems more apt during these times. The antagonist, an exceptionally brilliant scientist, wants to release a virus which will reduce the word's population substantially. Langdon travels across the beautiful architectures of Florence, fights with a loss of memory, works with WHO, references Dante's Inferno and finally ends up in Istanbul. In a race against time, will Robert be able to save the world? 


 

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank



Remember the History class in school? An invaluable piece in terms of History , this was the book our History teacher recommended in school. An Insightful read. Anne started her diary when she was 13, kept writing for 2 years about their life in hiding. Eventually they were discovered and she died in the concentration camp. It was after the war that her father found it and published it. Isolated from the world, they were truly locked down and trying to 'live' and 'survive'. It is remarkable how a teenager raises some very matured (sometimes disturbing) questions around humanity. So, let's show gratitude, and let's love and pray for all.



Life of Pi by Yann Martel


Have you watched the movie? If you have and you liked Richard Parker, now is the time to go back and read the book.
All about survival right? Piscine Patel aka Pi can survive for 227 days in a lifeboat with a tiger, why can't we? Next time when we think about Isolation, Quarantine I am sure Pi's image will come to your mind. This book is about survival and also about keeping faith.

So let's not complain about the limited ration anymore, let's celebrate life and happily read Pis journey.




A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini


The book is set in Afghanistan and portrays the story of two women, Mariam and Laila, a story about life of Afghan women, about the purpose to live, most importantly a story of sacrifice and friendship. This book tells you about Afghanistan, how much the people have endured and how beautiful the country is. Mariam gets married to Rasheed, years later Rasheed marries a much younger Laila. How does Mariam react to this marriage? No spoilers for now. I am surely going to write a detailed review on this book someday.
For now, cheers to Mariam, Laila and their indomitable spirit.




Johnny Gone Down by Karan Bajaj


'Johnny Gone Down' is one of my personal favorites. This book takes you around the world in a roller coaster ride! It seems unbelievable at times, but that adds to the excitement. This book revolves around the life of Nikhil aka Johnny. He was once a scholar, an MIT graduate, about to start a bright career with NASA , but life had different plans for him. From being in the middle of a genocide, to being a Monk, to working with a drug lord, falling in love and getting married to a Brazilian model, he had a very eventful life. This book tells us about life and it is all about the choices you make. Be thankful and celebrate each day. Loved it from cover to cover!


So, happy reading. Leave a comment mentioning your favorite one from the list.
Stay Safe, Stay at Home.
Happy Reading.