No matter what’s going on in the world, a good book can provide insight, comfort or a welcome escape. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues and many of us are seeking entertainment while staying home, reading offers some respite. Now may be the time to finally dig into that epic novel you’ve had on your shelf forever, revisit an old favourite or try something out of your reading comfort zone.
Books about pandemics and post-apocalyptic worlds
World War Z, Max Brooks
Max Brooks’ “oral history” of a virus that originated in China and spread across the world, transforming millions of people into zombies, is so much more than the Brad Pitt action adaptation makes it out to be. The novel is a sweeping look at the sociopolitical response to a pandemic—and a thriller to boot. Brooks described (with startling prescience) how different countries reacted to the major virus: In just the first few chapters, the Chinese government tries to cover up the virus’ spread, and the U.S. government, in the midst of an election year, is too slow to react to the impending catastrophe. (The book was banned in China.) Brooks’ profound insight: The real threat isn’t the virus or even the zombies—it’s our psychological response, namely denial and panic.
The Passage Trilogy, Justin Cronin
Justin Cronin’s trilogy (The Passage, The Twelve and The City of Mirrors), set in the near-future, follows the grim ramifications of a secret government project gone wrong. In attempting to extend human life, scientists created a drug with some nasty side effects, infecting most of the world’s population and turning them into something like vampires. A group of survivors band together—as most do in post-apocalyptic fiction—but The Passage takes a turn when the characters realize they need to team up with a six-year-old girl. In tracing the child’s connection to those who are infected, Cronin sets up an epic saga of brutality, heroism and heart.
The Second Corona Book of Horror Stories: The best in new horror short stories
Edited by Lewis Williams
The Second Corona Book of Horror Stories is now available to purchase (Kindle edition as well as paperback) via Amazon.com and, it’s safe to say, the contributing authors have put their blackest hearts and darkest souls into their stories. From childhood to old age … to death … and beyond, different voices, different perspectives, old horrors in new lights and new horrors for your delight. The Second Corona Book of Horror Stories has it all. 17 stories selected following a worldwide call for submissions that celebrate the very best in new horror writing.
The full list of contributing authors is: Phillip Drake, Tina Grehm, Wondra Vanian, Simon Lee-Price, Nico Bell, Horace Torys, Philip Charter, Dänna Wilberg, T. R. Hitchman, Ian Gough, Sue Eaton, Suzan St Maur, Joanie Chevalier, William Quincy Belle, Mark A Smart, Mary Camarillo and A. H. Sargeant.
PANDEMIC!
COVID-19 SHAKES THE WORLD by Slavoj Zizek
As an unprecedented global pandemic sweeps the planet, who better than the supercharged Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Žižek to uncover its deeper meanings, marvel at its mind-boggling paradoxes, and speculate on the profundity of its consequences, all in a manner that will have you sweating profusely and gasping for breath?
We live in a moment when the greatest act of love is to stay distant from the object of your affection. When governments renowned for ruthless cuts in public spending can suddenly conjure up trillions. When toilet paper becomes a commodity as precious as diamonds. And when, according to Žižek, a new form of communism may be the only way of averting a descent into global barbarism.
Written with his customary brio and love of analogies in popular culture (Quentin Tarantino and H.G. Wells sit next to Hegel and Marx in these pages), Žižek provides a concise and provocative snapshot of the crisis as it widens, engulfing us all.
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
After a swine flu pandemic wipes out most of the world’s population, a group of musicians and actors travel around newly formed settlements to keep their art alive. In following the troupe’s journey, Emily St. John Mandel showcases the impact of the pandemic on all of their lives. The novel, a 2014 National Book Award finalist, weaves together characters’ perspectives from across the planet and over several decades to explore how humanity can fall apart and then, somehow, come back together.