Literally every American—everyone on the planet—has been affected by the health emergency caused by the novel coronavirus. Even those that refuse to follow rules and recommendations and instead gather in huge crowds at the beach to, er, “interact” will find that they, too, are affected in ways they might not find so nice. Washington Governor Jay Inslee put it best when he said that ignoring precautions could kill your grandad. Now is the time to think of others first.
Those who remain healthy and employed have a myriad of ways
to help their neighbors that aren’t so fortunate. Donate to your local food
pantry or animal shelter. Purchase take away food—and generously tip the staff.
Purchase gift cards to use later or give to your neighbors who have been laid
off. Call a neighbor that lives alone and may be lonely.
But, of course, this is a column about books and reading. So
for those that are lucky enough to have leisure time and need to fill it, here
are some suggestions.
First, you can read, of course. But it is difficult for even
me to read for hours upon hours without a break. When you’re ready for a break
from your book, you can organize your bookshelves. If you’re like me, when
you’ve finished a new book, you just look for a bit of space on the shelf to
squeeze it in. However, if you organize your books, even if only by fiction and
non-fiction, you can find titles that you might be looking for later a lot
faster.
And while you’re going through your shelves, pull out the
titles you are ready to give up. Start a box of books to donate to the library
once the emergency is over. Also, pull the books that you haven’t read yet. You
may have several (or dozens if you’re like me) that you’ve purchased and not
gotten to.
Now is also a great time to create an online catalog of all
your books if you don’t already have one. I use LibraryThing, but there are
many others, including GoodReads.
It’s also a good time to learn to use a video conferencing
app like Google Hangouts or Zoom so that your book club can keep meeting even
during isolation. Grab your book, pour a beverage, and cozy up to your laptop
or phone to discuss a book with your friends.
Go outside. I prefer to have a physical book in my hands to
read. However, I’ve recently tried a few audiobooks, and I must say, being read
to is quite enjoyable. An audiobook is a great companion for a vigorous walk or
bike ride. The exercise will lift your mood and boost your immune system.
Try something new. If you have a spouse, partner, or
roommate, the two of you could choose books for each other. The person I share
a house with likes to read westerns, especially books about Texas Rangers. Not
really my cup of tea, but I’m willing to try one. Of course, he would have to read
“Wuthering Heights.” I’ll let you know how that goes.
Many people who love reading also enjoy writing. Keep a
journal of these very weird days. Can you imagine if you had your grandparents’
or great-grandparents’ daily journal from the pandemic of 1918, or from WWI, or
WWII? What a treasure that would be. Get the whole family in on it. Keep your
journals on a file sharing site like Dropbox or Google docs so that everyone
can read each other’s entries. Or start a virtual writers group and read your
entries to each other.
Do you have kids at home? Have them read to their
grandparents or other relatives via Facetime. It’s great for the kids and the
grans will love it.
Even though we’re supposed to be in isolation, we don’t have
to feel isolated. Books offer us the entire universe, full of interesting and
wonderful characters. Technology offers us the chance to interact without
leaving our homes. Instead of focusing on what we’re giving up, like toilet
paper and eating in restaurants, focus instead on what we can gain: a sense of shared
purpose, consideration of others, and lots of time to catch up on our reading.
