Are you trapped in your house and have nothing to do?
Well, instead of cursing the pandemic, wishing for the 2020 lockdown to end soon, and wasting your time in thinking how to utilize your quarantine, I have an idea for all the lazy lads out there.
Oh, sorry. You are not supposed to be ‘out’, you are supposed to be in.
You might be listening from here and there, from nearly every relative of yours, about the abundance of works you could do. These include cooking, cleaning, gardening, home workouts, and many more.
However, most people don’t feel like doing such works. For them, this isn't their thing. Not only them but also the people who do all daily chores are left with nothing when everything is done.
Here comes the role of our best friends, 'books'. For all the bookaholics, this 2020 lockdown due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a tremendous opportunity.
All those books that you were planning to read and were not able to read, maybe because of your work schedules, are ready to be read.
In case you don't have any book that is yet to be read, here is a list of 18 books that you must read before the quarantine ends. And if you don’t have them on your shelves, don’t worry.
You don’t need to rush to the library or book stores for these books as you can easily get hold of them on your smartphones, tablets, iPhones and iPads.
1. Angel of the Dark
Angel of the Dark is an amazing thriller story written by a popular American writer, Sidney Sheldon. Even though he is not with us, his intriguing stories never fail to amaze us.
The plot starts with the murder scene of an old multimillionaire art dealer, Andrew, who was brutally murdered and his young wife, who was beaten, raped and tied to the murdered body.
Detective Danny McGuire is in charge of the case, but it gradually closes as the widow escapes without a trace. Ten years later, Andrew’s estranged son, Matt walks into Danny’s life and together, they ally to dig the murder mystery.
As they start investigating, they find three identical cases. But everything starts to crumble when Matt meets the most recent widow. To see what happens next and who is the serial killer do give a read to this book. You can easily get it on Amazon or Kindle.
2. Sands of Time
Another one from Sheldon’s thriller novel collection, which was written in 1988, is Sands of Time. It is an action story of four nuns whose names were Teresa, Lucia, Megan, and Graciela. All four of them had completely different pasts, but somehow they all ended up being a nun in a convent in Spain.
Their lives turn 360 degrees when they are forced to leave the convent, to survive all by themselves in the outside world of threat, violence, and passion. The story takes its place when they run into a group of escaped terrorists. Want to know what happens next? Get it from amazon.in or kindle and read it yourself during the 2020 lockdown.
3. Carrion Girl (Wakeful Dead)
This is a nail-biting thriller written by Y.S. Yeo. The story revolves around a boy called Silas whose parents were murdered. He flees his hometown with his younger sister and starts his life as a curio shopkeeper under a pseudo name. All this while, he has only one motive, to kill his parent’s murderer.
Once he was disposing of a body and he felt that a strange girl was following him. The strange girl, who was more likely dead. Or is she dead? The twist enters his life here. A man craving revenge and a woman desperate to remember, both are ready to claw their way with blood and treachery, leaving corpses one after the other. To know what happens, log in to Wattpad and read this book.
4. Trouble with Love
It is a story written by J J Jiang. The plot revolves around a teenage girl named Elena Evans, who is living her normal school life. Suddenly, one fine day, she is invited by a famous group in her school, The Elites. The Elites is a group of rich spoilt brats, who never let anyone into their group. She is not only invited by them but also asked to make one of them fall in love with her.
Considering it a stupid game, she avoids it, but somehow the Elites trick her into it. Due to some incidents, Elena realizes that the Elites have their secrets, and Elena is not the first one to play this game. To find out what are their secrets, get a binge read of this book on Wattpad.
5. Unhinged
Another of Wattpad's goodreads, Unhinged, written by Sandra Grayson, is one of the thrillers you would die for. It is a story of a relationship therapist, Dr. Alexis Reyna, who is also a host of a radio show, Heartbreakers. She lives a normal life, which revolves around her patients and her radio show listeners.
But her perfect life takes a horrific turn when she finds out that someone is stalking her. It becomes worst when she realizes that he is a psychopath, and his obsession turns deadly. Find out what happens with her and her stalker during your quarantine.
6. Unconditionally
The Beginning of Revelation: This book is written by May Blayde, and is a treat to those who love supernatural stories. The plot revolves around a girl named Suzzanah Winters, who has just relocated to a new place to join her new prestigious company, Royale Industries.
But something about the company and the place makes her feel that it is not normal. She feels something is wrong about the employees there and her boss too. As she starts working in the company, several events happen that make her paranoid, and she claims herself to be abnormal.
To know about the mystery, get your Wattpad and step into the world filled with supernaturals, romance, humor, mystery, and a lot of paranormal chaos.
7. The Phoenix
Another nail-biting story of Sheldon is The Phoenix. This novel is about a young and weird girl, Ella Praeger, who has always felt like an outsider. Her life shifts when she is invited by The Group to join the ranks, a force operating on missions, undercover.
She is assigned a purpose and possesses a dangerous legacy. In the past, The Group got rid of its most powerful criminal masterminds, but when a child washes up on a beach in Greece with a mysterious symbol tattooed on his heal, it is a clear indication that the enemy has returned to reclaim the empire.
Ella’s connection with the enemy is also deeply personal. Thrown into the underworld of treachery and corruption, and haunted by the tragedies of her past, Ella is reborn as an agent chasing the enemy.
In the process, Ella rises from the ashes, but only one of them gets to fulfill their dream. This novel is available on Amazon or Kindle if you wish to read it before the 2020 lockdown ends.
8. The Ring
A beautiful fated story written by Danielle Steel, The Ring is set during World War II in Germany. A beautiful wife of an influencer Banker, Kassandra, falls in love with a Jewish author. His Jewish heritage leads him to his death. Out of grief, the lady commits suicide, leaving behind her a son and a daughter.
Her daughter, Ariana is passed the legacy of her mother’s ring. Once Ariana’s younger brother turns fifteen, he is supposed to join the army according to the German rules. However, their father wishes to keep his children away from war.
So under a fake story, he elopes with his son to Switzerland, instructing Ariana how to control the things. But while returning he gets assassinated by the army men leaving Ariana in German custody and her brother in Switzerland.
Want to know how the ring sealed their fate? Binge read the book on amazon this quarantine.
9. Your House Will Pay
Written by Steph Cha, this is a powerful and taut novel about racial tensions in Los Angeles, following two families—one Korean-American, one African-American—grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime. In the wake of the police shooting of a black teenager, Los Angeles is as tense as it’s been since the unrest of the early 1990s.
But Grace Park and Shawn Matthews have their own problems. Grace is sheltered and largely oblivious, living in the Valley with her Korean-immigrant parents, working long hours at the family pharmacy.
Shawn has already had enough of politics and protest after an act of violence shattered his family years ago. He just wants to be left alone to enjoy his quiet life in Palmdale.
But when another shocking crime hits LA, both the Park and Matthews families are forced to face down their history while navigating the tumult of a city on the brink of more violence.
With all the right emotions and trauma that we all are facing at the moment, this is one of the best books to read in Quarantine, or even before 2020 ends.
10. The Meat Hunter
From the very beginning, you’ve swept away in the mind of the serial killer main character, Molly Bishop. Molly is a strong, confident, feminist woman, and being able to see the story unfold from her perspective and her thought process makes for a distinctive and almost entrancing read.
You get pulled into understanding why she takes the actions she does, and some part of you wants to justify her actions through that connection. Yet, simultaneously you know she’s beyond the lines of justification with her radical and psychotic methods. For lovers of suspense, this book is certainly worth a read in quarantine.
11. Love Lettering
Love Lettering is a lighthearted romance that makes a good read in this period of Quarantine. It’s the main character, Meg, is a hand lettering artist who falls for a handsome former client. They make a game of finding unique signs around New York that she can use as inspiration.
Meg also has best friend troubles and becomes friends with a famous actress she idolized as a kid and is a likable character that you root for in this rom-com. Love Lettering is cute and sweet.
What is most appreciatiable about this book is mostly breezy and it takes place in as a relief from the news we are hearing every day. One of the best books of 2020 to lighten the mood and enjoy some time in quarantine.
12. Our Little Cruelties
This book follows three brothers whose constant competition and betrayals ultimately ends with one of the brothers died at the hands of another. The very first scene in this book finds an unnamed narrator - one of the brothers - at his brother’s funeral, reflecting on the death of his sibling.
But these reflections are FAR from that of a grieving person. Instead, they’re a hint at the dark relationship that existed between these men—and a very early indicator that something is very wrong here.
13. The Kite Runner
'For you, a thousand times over.' How many times have we said this to a person nowadays? Or how many times have we ever thought about telling some this? I guess not so many, right?
In the book The Kite Runner, Hasan's characteristics, actions, and attributes are so pure and without any malice. Where he put himself in danger a thousand times for Amir. We can learn from Hasan's character to put in the effort and love in a friendship/relationship. Maybe fewer hearts will be broken then.
Get into reading this book in this quarantine and you will add it to your favorites in 2020.
14. East of Eden
East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a magnum opus that combines our hunger for a great story with questions that will always torment us. This follows two families, The Trasks & The Hamiltons set in Salinas Valley, California.
The novel starts with Samuel Hamilton & his wife Liza migrating to Salinas Valley, taking up a piece of land & trying to set up a life for them. Later Adam Trusk also moves here but to a much better & fertile land with his newlywed Cathy.
The story then follows these two families who traverse the good, bad & the ugly giving us a masterpiece of love, betrayal, self-doubt & eventual freedom. There are several shades in the novel that make it a very intriguing one and a great addition to the list of 2020 quarantine reads.
15. This Must Be The Place
This is a heart-winning novel by Maggie O' Farrell, taking you through the family dynamics and relationships. It is set over different periods and is written from different characters' perspectives, which we all usually struggle with.
Meet Daniel Sullivan, a man with a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn, and a wife, Claudette, who is a reclusive ex–film star is given to pulling a gun on anyone who ventures up their driveway.
It is a mixture of mystery alongside this beautiful love story interwoven into it all, pulling the strands together. Read this book in quarantine else you would miss the opportunity!
16. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine with her life and routine. When the weekend comes, she looks forward to picking up a frozen pizza and some vodka. She goes all weekend without talking to anyone except her "Mummy". One day her computer stops working and she calls on the IT guy to help her. Raymond shows up and her life suddenly changes. Have you read it or plan to read it in the 2020 quarantine?
17. The Nightingale
With courage, grace and powerful insight, Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war.
The Nightingale tells the story of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion, and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France.
The Nightingale is a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. This is indeed one of the best books to read in the 2020 lockdown scenario.
18. A Woman Is No Man
In her debut novel, Etaf Rum tells the story of three generations of Palestinian-American women, struggling to express their individual desires within the confines of their Arab culture in the wake of shocking intimate violence in their community.
A Woman Is No Man is a story of culture and honor, secrets and betrayals, love and violence. Set in an America at once foreign to many and staggeringly close at hand, this novel is an intimate glimpse into a controlling and closed cultural world and a universal tale about family and the ways silence and shame can destroy those we have sworn to protect. A definitely great read during the 2020 lockdown.
The list of best books for 2020 quarantine ends here. What are you waiting for? Start reading today.
Stay home, stay safe.