Found: A Library in My Pocket.

Laura Cody

August 10, 2020 – 5 min read

No doubt about it. The last several months have been hard. Total garbage. But sometimes, buried in the dark, garbage-y muck, are small, unexpected treasures.  

I discovered one of these treasures when I stumbled upon the Libby public library app. Of course, it’s possible everyone else has known about the digital library for ages, and I am just late to the party. Certainly wouldn’t be the first time. But it doesn’t really matter, because now I know that I can link my library card to an online borrowing service and … read!And I mean read everything – new releases, hot summer reads, New York Times bestsellers. All available without leaving the house, without donning a mask, and without shelling out any cash! An absolute shiny gem in the midst of all the trash.

And I’ve been taking full advantage, reading constantly. I learned long ago that words on a page have the power to transport me to new places, make me feel all the feels, if you will – something especially enticing in this time of shrink-wrapped social experiences and imposed isolation. I’m talking about the no-school, no-work, no-vacations, no-parties reality we’ve all been living to varying degrees. Reading helps me through it. I love my Kindle Reading app, my dependable companion on subways, in waiting rooms, and while propped on pillows in bed. And – get this – the Libby reading app delivers the books to Kindle, so they can be read on this crazily user-friendly app. A most excellent perk!And while I take full advantage of my Prime membership, snatching up a First Read at the start of every month and religiously scouring the Kindle Lender Library for latest offerings, the fact is that, still, the free selections are limited.

The digital library is different. Almost everything is available – not just a curated selection, not just “our staff’s best picks,” but everything. Eventually. Sure, sometimes, someone else has checked out the book I want. No problem. I place a hold, and sooner or later, a message pops into my inbox telling me my book is ready and waiting for download. In the meantime, I check out another book. Or two. At any given time, I’m usually reading one book and listening to another. (Yes, audiobooks are available for check-out at the digital library!) Oftentimes, I’m actually reading three. If I’m going to be sitting out in the sun for any length of time – say a day at the beach – the screen glare gets to me, so I opt for a real, proper, old-fashioned paper book. And while I will emphasize again how much I love my Kindle reading app, I have to admit that holding a print copy of a book in my hands is still one of life’s great pleasures. 

What follows is a list of the books I’ve made my way through during COVID-19 along with a few comments. I didn’t write any reviews – that’s what Goodreads is for, but I can assure you there is not a single stinker in the group. My hope is that the reading bug is contagious and that my list might just motivate someone to pick up a book (or download an app) and get reading. 

Laura’s COVID-19 Reading List

The Dutch House by Ann Patchet (essentially a love letter from one sibling to another, sad and gentle and beautifully written; after all, its Ann Patchet. Please tell me you’ve read Bel Canto!)

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (imagine a South Carolina marsh teeming with wildlife – fish and crabs and birds and mussels – and one abandoned, ferociously resourceful girl; lush and evocative prose)

The Institute by Stephen King (a man who knows a bit about luring in a reader)

Where’d you Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (Though I’d heard the movie was nothing to get too excited about, I found the book delightfully quirky fun.)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Yes, I’ve read it before, but I decided to have a new go at it when my son’s English teacher assigned it in the spring. You know: “… we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” and all that. When Matt and I finished reading, we celebrated by watching both movies. Ugh. Mistake. I didn’t remember how cringe-y the 1976 Robert Redford one was. And the 2013 Baz Luhrman one – forget it! (I loveLeonardo, but the hip hop soundtrack for the roaring twenties ruined everything for me.)

Deacon King Kong by James McBride (if you haven’t read it yet, stop reading this and go read that right now because it is really that good, and it’s probably going to win the Pulitzer. In truth, I have zero knowledge of how things like Pulitzer prizes are decided, and, oddly enough, no one actually seeks out my opinion.)

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (wildly engaging romp through an Australian wellness spa)

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (I heard the HBO show was great, so I gave the book a try. Worth it.)

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (dysfunctional family drama, irresistible)

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (Mr. Towles is quite the wordsmith.)

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (I was so impressed by Rules, I had to check this one out. Lyrical and funny. I’m in awe of the author’s skill with words.)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (heart-wrenchingly sad … and a little happy; terrific)

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Oh, Olive Kitteridge! It won the Pulitzer. And it shows.)

Prey by Michael Crichton (a man who knew a few things about successfully weaving science into a bestseller)

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate (gripping historical fiction at its best)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (gorgeous, masterful WWII historical fiction)

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (A friend handed me the set and said, “I sort of think you should read this” after beta-reading The Epsilon Project – the work-in-progress that Graham and I have been toiling over for years. I sort of see why.)

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The Death Cure by James Dashner

Okay, That’s enough for now. I’m “off to the library” to find my next read. I’m taking recommendations.

What are you reading?