Top 10 Books to Read During Lockdown

It's difficult to find things to do when you're stuck at home for weeks or months on end in a nationwide lockdown. People who used to love to go out and meet their friends are now stuck at home, looking for something new to watch or trying to find ways to keep themselves busy. I'm one of these people. In the past 3 months I've started cooking/baking, learning the guitar, reading more than I used to and I've even gotten back into writing.

So I thought posting a list of Top 10 Books to Read During Lockdown might be a helpful way for people to find something to do in these trying times. These books are easy reads, intriguing, happy, funny, sad, anything that is ideal for someone who wants to sit at home and read something new. So let the list begin!

#1 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Genre: Classic

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: "The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it. "To Kill A Mockingbird" became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, "To Kill A Mockingbird" takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature."

My comment: I read this book while on holidays in Spain and it was glued to my hands the entire time. A famous classic, To Kill a Mockingbird is a must read for anyone who identifies as a book lover!

#2 Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Genre: Young Adult

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: "For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is … until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined."

My comment: Before I Fall is multiple genres all rounded up into one story. It will make you happy, sad, smile, cry, fall in love, everything a good book should make you feel.

#3 The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Genre: Young Adult

My rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: "Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?"

My comment: Though the synopsis may not reveal much about the story at hand, The Inexplicable Logic of My Life is one of my favourites by Sáenz. In reality, it's a love story - but not the kind that you'd expect. It's a story of family love, and it is truly magical and breath-taking. Definitely one of my favourites.

#4 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Genre: Classic

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: "The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story is of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his new love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s."

My comment: If you're looking for a short read or just not totally sure that you want to read at all yet, this 115 page novel is a good start. Everybody knows The Great Gatsby, whether from studying it in school to loving Leonardo DiCaprio, it's definitely worth giving a go!

#5 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Genre: Horror, mystery

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: "It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own."

My comment: I'm sure many of you have heard of - if not binged - the Netflix Original Series "The Haunting of Hill House." This novel, in which the horror show is based, is a good read for people who love a bit of mystery and thriller. Not a lengthy novel, it's the perfect read for those of you who don't have much time on your hands!

#6 Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen

Genre: Young Adult, romance

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: "Aisling is twenty-eight and she’s a complete ... Aisling.

She lives at home in Ballygobbard (or Ballygobackwards, as some gas tickets call it) with her parents and commutes to her good job at PensionsPlus in Dublin.

Aisling goes out every Saturday night with her best friend Majella, who is a bit of a hames (she’s lost two phones already this year – Aisling has never lost a phone).

Aisling spends two nights a week at her boyfriend John’s. He’s from down home and was kiss number seventeen at her twenty-first.

But Aisling wants more. She wants the ring on her finger. She wants the hen with the willy straws. She wants out of her parents’ house, although she’d miss Mammy turning on the electric blanket like clockwork and Daddy taking her car 'out for a spin' and bringing it back full of petrol.

When a week in Tenerife with John doesn’t end with the expected engagement, Aisling calls a halt to things and soon she has surprised herself and everyone else by agreeing to move into a three-bed in Portobello with stylish Sadhbh from HR and her friend, the mysterious Elaine.

Newly single and relocated to the big city, life is about to change utterly for this wonderful, strong, surprising and funny girl, who just happens to be a complete Aisling."

My comment: I know that this situation we all find ourselves in with Covid is tough. Many of you may be feeling more down than usual. This book - and the first of three so far - is a brilliant read to try and get yourself feeling a bit more cheery! Full to the rim with jokes and funny moments, Aisling is the perfect character to give you that little bit of joy!

#7 Witness (Otter Creek 1) by Rebecca Deel

Genre: Young Adult, crime, romance

My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: "Four burglaries. Three assaults. One murder.

Not the crime stats Police Chief Ethan Blackhawk envisions for his first two weeks on the job. Ethan uncovers a link to his past, an assassin who bested him five years ago and again hunts in his territory. He welcomes a second chance to capture the assassin...until he falls in love with the only witness. This time a failure to unmask the assassin may cost Ethan everything.

Wielding a sharp knife, personal chef Serena Cahill dices vegetables and dishes dinner for clients. When she interrupts a crime in progress, Serena steps into the crosshairs of an international assassin. After a friend disappears and her business implodes, she joins forces with Ethan to trap a killer before he takes out the next target--Serena."

My comment: If you're looking for a full lengthy series to keep yourself busy, Witness is the place to start! The first book of a 15 book series that also intertwines with another 15 book series, you'll be reading for days on end! Infused with mystery, crime and romance, it's a book for all readers!

#8 Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

My rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: "In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch."

My comment: If we're going to have a list of books people can read during the lockdown, we have to include Fantasy, right? Truthwitch (The Witchlands Series #1) is an ideal Young Adult Fantasy book for people who love witches and wizards and magic and more!

#9 And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Genre: Classic, mystery, crime

My rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: "First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion:

"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion."

My comment: The Queen of Crime. Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" is such an amazing book! Leaving you guessing until the very end, this book keeps you wanting to just keep reading! It's definitely in my top 3 of favourites!

#10 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Genre: Teen Fiction, Young Adult

My rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis: "Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come."

My comment: You just can't have a Top 10 list of books without mentioning Harry Potter!