Book Recommendations for Sick Days

Book Recommendations for Sick Days Despite your best efforts to avoid it I see you with your constant Purelling cold and flu season is upon us. With any luck, youll escape unscathed, but if youre like me, youll spend at least a couple days honking and hacking and nesting on the couch, trying to kick the plague out of your system. And if youre like me, youll want to spend your sick days (Im on number four for the year so far; thanks, bronchitis) with just the right entertainment. While Ive been doing my fair share of Netflix-ing, here are my best book recommendations for your sick days: 1. Rereads: When Im sick, I just dont have the energy to absorb new  plot lines or to pay close attention to language. So I fall back on my favorite rereads, books that I know so well I can doze off mid-sentence and not lose the thread of whats happening when I manage to rouse myself. Also books that are exciting and plot-twisty and easy Im not about to reread Pride Prejudice. On My Stack:   Kartography by Kamila Shamsie, Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjahlian, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 2. Harry Potter: Even though,  technically, this is also a reread, Harry Potter goes in a category all its own. Being sick makes me regress into being a kid again really, I just want my mom to come take care of me and no other series gives me  the same feeling, especially the early books. On My Stack: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (all by J.K. Rowling, obvi) 3. Audiobooks:  Sometimes you just dont even have the energy to read pages, which is where audiobooks become a godsend. I like books that youve once read in print and are listening to for the first time, absorbing narratives, and genre fiction youre experiencing for the first time. On My Stack:   The Martian by Andy Weir, The Distance by Helen Giltrow, Lock In by John Scalzi 4. Short Stories and Essay Collections:  I love collections of short work fiction or nonfiction when Im feeling less than stellar because I can start and finish a complete piece without overdoing it. Plus, because Im reading these in short chunks, Im better able to absorb more complex work or denser writing. On My Stack:   In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin, Tenth of December by George Saunders, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling 5. YA:  There is nothing like a great YA novel to make you forget entirely that youre sick. Youll just keep reaching for the tissues while flipping pages and paying no mind to the raw skin around your nose. On My Stack:   Adam by Ariel Schrag, Fat Angie by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, Ill Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson So what books make it onto your stack when youre sick? ____________________ Did you know that Book Riot has a  YouTube channel? We do. It’s new and we are having fun with it. Check it out  here.