Bagel Babe Book Club: 5 Books to Read in Quarantine

It’s definitely tough to find positives coming out of the global pandemic – but more time to read is one of those few! With all of us stir crazy indoors, I wanted to compile a list of five fun books to read in quarantine to keep entertained.

And sane. Did I mention sane?

It’s so easy while indoors to spend endless hours scrolling news and social media, but it’s actually not all that great for your anxiety levels. Picking up a book is an easy way to escape and relax. We may not be able to travel right now – but books can take us to far off places and worlds.

Here are five books to read in quarantine for a little escape, and a whole lot of entertainment!

Lifestyle blogger Kelsey from Blondes & Bagels lists out the best books to read during quarantine! Find new books to read during shelter in place in this handy blog post.

5 books to read while in quarantine

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Evelyn Hugo is an aging Hollywood actress with an increasingly private life in her later years – she rarely, if ever, grants interviews. Except to budding young journalist Monique Grant. In fact, Evelyn wants Monique to write a tell-all book about her life…and Monique wonders why? Why her?

From Evelyns wild life stories to the relatable character of Monique, this book was light, entertaining, and had enough plot twists and turns to easily keep me captivated. Think beach read – without the beach.

The Obstacle is the Way

I’m a huge fan of Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic – you can read my blog post dedicated to it here. Stoicism is honestly life changing, and while the Daily Stoic is a sort of daily devotional, the Obstacle is the Way is a dissection on how Stoics use obstacles in life to find their path. Often, as the book is titled, the obstacle is the way. We can’t avoid obstacles as much as we would love to do so – so how will we use the obstacle to inform our next move?

A deeply powerful book about the human psyche and the power of positive thinking, I can’t recommend this book enough especially for some quarantine time reading.

The Ride of a Lifetime

Bob Iger has like, the dream job. With fifteen years of running the Walt Disney company under his belt – and now off to retirement (or the presidency?) – he’s finally released an autobiography about his experiences.

My quick take here: Bob states at the beginning of the book that it’s meant to be less of a memoir and more a book of his management lessons and learnings.

It’s definitely a memoir. But a really good one at that! From the acquisitions of Marvel and Lucas to the launch of Disney+, Iger’s experiences are a worthwhile read.

Time and How to Spend It

Time is the most precious resource we have…yet most of us often feel we are wasting it. And honestly? Most of us are wasting it.

Time and How to Spend It dives into the “persistent problem” of wasted time and gives in detail, helpful exercises and tips for how to not only get more done, but actually feel you’ve spent your time well. No – this book isn’t about maximizing mindless productivity – it’s about understanding how to use time in a fulfilling way.

Read (or re-read) an entire book series

Straight up – I’ve spent a good chunk of quarantine re-reading the Harry Potter series. I’m finishing the second book tonight and will move on to the third shortly. Have I read them before? Duh. Are they still as good as ever? Absolutely. Sometimes it’s comforting to pick up a series of old favorites and just read because you enjoy them – rather than reading for newness.

That being said – there are loads of book series out there that I (and you!) haven’t read! Maybe now is the time to try the Expanse series. Or hey, maybe a little GOT?

With all this time on our hands, now’s the time to grab that book series you’ve been dying to read, but maybe just hadn’t yet gotten around to.

Drop your book recommendations in the comments down below!

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Lifestyle blogger Kelsey from Blondes & Bagels lists out the best books to read during quarantine! Find new books to read during shelter in place in this handy blog post.
Lifestyle blogger Kelsey from Blondes & Bagels lists out the best books to read during quarantine! Find new books to read during shelter in place in this handy blog post.