The coronavirus has been in the news a lot lately. When there is "pandemic" like Covid-19, there tend to be rumors that go along with it. One of these rumors is that there may be a large scale quarantine. We would all have limited human contact for at least fourteen days because that is about how long it takes for the virus to become non-contagious. If this is the case (which I highly doubt it is) here are a few books to help you pass the time.
1984 by George Orwell
1984 takes place in a dystopian future, where the world is under the watchful eye of the government and is subject to constant propaganda. Great Britain or Airstrip One, is ruled by the Party who employs the Thought Police. They want to rid the world individuality and independent thinking.Then there is Big Brother, the leader of the Party, who may or may not exist. Then there is Winston Smith, a skilled worker and Party member. Winston secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion.
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel set in a patriarchal society. The novel shows a Handmaid's viewpoint, specifically Offred's. Parts of the novel are just Offred's perspective and other parts are what Offred imagines the lives of the other Handmaids are like. Offred jumps between past and present as she retells the events that lead up to the fall of women's rights.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Ready Player One is a science fiction novel that is set in the year 2045. The novel tells the story of Wade Watts, a young man living in the "stacks" or Oklahoma. Wade is on the search for an easter egg hidden in a worldwide virtual reality game called the OASIS. Whoever finds this will inherit the game creator's fortune.
Outbreak by Robin Cook
- The director of a Los Angeles health maintenance clinic is shocked by the outbreak of an untreatable and contagious virus. Seven patients are exhibiting symptoms and the Atlanta's Center for Disease Control goes on red alert. Unless the virus can be isolated, mankind may face the biggest medical crisis since the Black Death. Assigned by the CDC to investigate the disease, Dr. Marissa Blumenthal quickly becomes caught up in the fiasco that is the virus. The California case is only the first series of outbreaks that seem to be unrelated. Except for one fact, the locations where the outbreaks occur are always health-care facilities. As her investigation takes strange turns, Marissa discovers there may be more to this outbreak, than she originally thought.
Inferno by Dan Brown
- Harvard professor Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with no memory and a raging headache. He definitely doesn't remember the object that has been hidden with his belongings. With the help of Sienna Brooks, a doctor from the hospital he awoke in, Langdon is able to flee. As the two embark on this journey, they must break a series of codes, created by a brilliant scientist who has an obsession with the end of the world. This obsession can only be matched by his fascination with Dante Alighieri's The Inferno. It is the inspiration for a deadly contagion that will be released in a matter of hours unless Langdon and Brooks can stop it.
