Five Good Books to Take Your Mind Off COVID-19

Carry On combines a ghost story, a love story, and mystery to create an original plot with deep characters.

By THOMAS LIU

With the coronavirus spreading, it can be very hard to relax and not worry. Luckily, I have a list of books to get your mind off the pandemic.

Let’s start with Undaunted by Diana Palmer. Our heroine Emma Copeland accidentally caused multi-millionaire tycoon Connor to have hysterical conversion disorder due to a jetski incident. Hysterical conversion disorder is when you lose your vision due to emotional trauma. After Connor unknowingly hires Emma as his assistant, she has to impress him enough to not be thrown in jail once he finds out. That will be very hard since they are also falling for each other.

I recommend this book because the characters are well-developed, with intricate backstories. The book has an amazing plot with drama, suspense, and strong human emotion blending together. There are moments that will make you cry, smile, and even blush. As you get toward the end of the book, you will realize a very important message: We don’t realize how important something or someone is until you lose them.

The next book is The Bookworm Crush by Lisa Brown Roberts. Booklover Amy Mclntyre wants to enter a social media competition to win an opportunity to meet her favorite author, but there is one thing preventing her: She is very shy and her confidence is very low. The only way to win is to be in the spotlight, so she hires a coach to help her with her confidence. The person she thinks is the best for the job is Toff Nichols, a local surfer celebrity and her best friend Vivian’s soon-to-be step brother. As the coaching lessons go on, their dynamic begins to change, causing many changes in their lives and the people around them.

I recommend this book because it is very relatable to bookworm teens. Its Instagram and popular book references make readers feel they are in the book as well, and there are many cute moments in the unexpected romance between a booknerd and a surfer. This book encourages romance novel positivity and acceptance. Roberts does a good job writing about earning love by opening up, risking vulnerability, and giving without expecting rewards. 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is a must read. Simon Snow is a wizard-in-training on a mission. There is a magic-eating monster rampaging around and it is his job to stop it (apparently he’s the “chosen one”). With the help of his friend Penny and his rival Baz, a vampire, he tries to discover the secrets behind the monster and the mysterious events that occur throughout the story. 

I highly recommend this book because the main protagonist is complex and well-developed, while Baz has a deep story behind his dark and gloomy self. There isn’t much queer related content in YA fiction, and this book is one of the best. In my opinion, there should already be a movie about it, with its complex characters and amazing yet mysterious plot. Rainbow Rowell did a nice job giving her characters depth and successfully combining a ghost story, a love story, and mystery to create an original plot. She’s able to create suspense in almost every chapter and make the reader fall in love with the characters.

After a successful movie adaptation, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Hans should already be on the top of your list. Lara Jean has never dated anyone until Peter Kavinsky asks her to be his fake girlfriend to make his ex jealous. As they progress with their fake relationship, the two begin to develop feelings for each other, but when a scandal about them appears on social media, their relationship is put on the line while his ex tries to drive them apart.

In YA fiction, there aren't many Asian protagonists; TATBILB successfully tells a story about an Asian girl and how she deals with her life and family. There are many emotional scenes that will make you smile and cheer for Lara Jean and some that will break your heart. Jenny Han was able to make the narrative realistic and allow the readers to connect with Lara Jean as she deals with being a big sister and an Asian-American caught between cultures. Lara Jean starts off dependent on her family but develops into a more mature character who is able to make her own decisions, learn from her mistakes, and live her own life.

Finally, the last book on my list is Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines. This book follows the life of football player West Ashby and Maggie Carleton as they deal with the pain in their lives. Maggie’s life was never the same since she witnessed her father murder her mother. Meanwhile, West had to watch his father, who used to be healthy and strong, slowly die of cancer. West and Maggie meet during an afterparty and find comfort in each other and, forming a strong connection as they spill their grief. 

This book tells the story of a bond of friendship formed over grief that will change into something bigger and meaningful. As you read through Glines’s descriptive lines, you feel West’s and Maggie’s emotions and find yourself becoming attached to the characters. As the book progresses, you immerse yourself in their lives and their journey from grief to discovering that pain is something you can learn from.