Social distancing with books? Here are some fresh #ReadICT ‘quaran-read’ categories
Among my circle of avid-reader friends, people seem to be handling the stay-at-home order one of two ways:
1) Continuing to read everything they can get their hands (or ears) on, and relishing the self-imposed reading retreat.
Or, 2) Feeling frustrated because they’re stressed or distracted and can’t read more than a few pages at a time.
Whatever the case, we’ve got a proposition for you: Some new quarantine-inspired bonus categories for our 2020 #ReadICT Challenge.
The annual #ReadICT challenge urges local bibliophiles to expand their horizons by reading books from a dozen different categories — everything from a book with a number in the title to a book that’s been adapted to the screen — before the end of this calendar year.
There’s still plenty of time to start the challenge. Join our “Wichita Eagle #ReadICT Challenge” group on Facebook and visit the Wichita Public Library’s website — www.wichitalibrary.org/readict — to get more information.
To mark this unprecedented season that’s ripe for reading, we’re offering some extra-credit categories inspired by the quarantine. No pressure, no rules, no additional prizes or ribbons or badges. Just six more “quaran-reads” that you can add to the original dozen.
Participants can use the Beanstack app (available through your app store or online at wichitalibrary.beanstack.org) to log books read, or download an interactive PDF from the library’s website or the #ReadICT Facebook page.
Here you go:
1. A microhistory book — The coronavirus pandemic is mind-boggling, no doubt, but it may boost our psyche to think about it as a blip in our more expansive human existence. And that’s what microhistory books explore — a well-defined event, person, family or object. Mark Kurlansky’s “Salt: A World History,” for example, has drawn raves for turning a common household item into a page-turning, multi-layered masterpiece.
Our friends at the Wichita Public Library also recommend “The Children’s Blizzard” by David Laskin. Or, if you’re hankering to read about other deadly viruses, check out “The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History,” by John Barry.
2. The first in a series — You’ve got time. Why not explore a new — or new to you — series by test-reading the first installment? Some possibilities: “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon; “Open Season” by C. J. Box; “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes. And there’s always Harry Potter.
3. A charming escape — I’m not usually an escapist reader. I like deep, dark, sometimes soul-crushing literary fiction — novels like “A Little Life” and “My Absolute Darling.” But when pandemic news started getting me down, I reached for “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery, and it soothed my troubled soul. Other escapist options: “O Pioneers!” by Willa Cather, “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë, or anything by Jane Austen.
4. A book about food or cooking — Most of us are spending more time in the kitchen these days, so why not read a cookbook or chef memoir? Bonus points if it has recipes. Gold star if you attempt a recipe yourself. (Side note: Any cookbook also would count for Category No. 2 in this year’s #ReadICT Challenge — a fix-it, how-to or self-help book.)
I can’t wait to dig into “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking” by Samin Nosrat. Other recommendations: “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain, “Tender at the Bone” by Ruth Reichl, and “Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen” by Laurie Colwin.
5. A book about a tiger or a king — Just as our isolation began, Netflix released the documentary series “Tiger King,” and it’s been burning up social media ever since. All you cool cats and kittens could read a tiger book, such as “Life of Pi” or “The Jungle Book,” or one about royal families, like “Wolf Hall” or “Nicholas and Alexandra.”
6. A travel book — It’s not a good time to travel, but one of the greatest things about books is their ability to transport you to other locales. Pick a destination and go there in the pages. Some options: “A Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle, “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert, or “Travels With Charley: In Search of America” by John Steinbeck.
Make the most of our hunker-down order: Stay home, stay healthy, and stay reading.
