Amidst a nationwide quarantine, I keep seeing calls for a return to reading. LA’s Skylight Books is offering free-shipping. LitHub is providing personalized quarantine book recommendations. Book-sharing website LibraryThing is now “free to all.” Like everyone else, I am very terrified about this pandemic, but the author in me is a little excited that people are giving books a chance.
While extroverts are cooped up inside for the very first time, I’ve been self-isolating and reading books, by choice, for most of my adult life. I tend to think most popular books — i.e. anything Oprah or Reese Witherspoon would recommend — are trash, so I’m going to try to stick to more niche titles. I’ll keep my descriptions short & sweet so you can get right to reading. I’m a huge proponent of choosing a book by its cover so I highly encourage that here. Ok, here goes (in no particular order)….
Vernon Subutex by Virginie Despentes
A former owner of a legendary record shop embarks on an epic couch-surfing voyage throughout aging punk Paris to avoid homelessness.
