April 27, 2020. Kyiv. In the context of an outbreak of the coronavirus in Ukraine, with 9,009 infected, 220 dead, and the death rate of 2.44%, our authorities are forced to resort to extreme measures and isolate people in their apartments. What to do? Of course, read!

I want to share with you a selection of subject books that will not make you bored.

1. Ray Bradbury. “Frost & Fire”

This is a parable, a “fantastic kick”, and a “cure for the melancholy”.

How long does it take a person to enjoy life? 80, 90 or is that not enough? Bradbury imagined that one day a catastrophe will occur on the planet that will change the natural environment and human life will be 8 days. The heroes of Bradbury do not expect an imminent death. They live “in full”: they study, fall in love, get married, are jealous, leave offspring, and even fight. And some are struggling to be needed and create something important, valuable beyond time. These people live tens and hundreds of lives in just 8 days, while their ancestors could not enjoy one in 70−80 years.

2. Jessica Sachs. “Good Germs, Bad Germs”

In a world in which people lose the fight against germs, it is very useful to know the materiel. This is a bestseller and one of the best modern books on microbes, which can be advised to a wide range of readers. This is a concentrate of interesting microbiological topics: antibiotics, probiotics, the relationship between hygiene and allergies. This book is necessary for anyone who is aware of the impact of microorganisms on everyday life and longs for harmony, not war.

3. Stephen King. ” The Stand”

A fantastic novel about the pandemic of super influenza and survivors in the battle with the new virus. The writer through the prism of several personal tragedies describes the collapse of society, explosions of violence, the inability of the government and the army to stop the pandemic, and survivors to accept the loss of loved ones or take care of themselves. And that the few survivors are creating a fundamentally different model of society.

4. Sonya Shah. “Pandemic”

An American journalist of Indian descent named her book in such a way that you can be scared to read it. But in fact, this is an exciting, topical investigation written in a lively modern language, from which it is impossible to break away. About viruses and their mutations from ancient times to the present day, as well as the heroic experiments of doctors looking for a medicine, and the stubbornness of authorities who do not want to listen to these doctors.

The main character is cholera. And she is interested in the author not so much from a medical point of view, but in the context of human errors and passions.

5. Jose Saramago. “Blindness”

Visiting card of a Portuguese writer, Nobel Prize winner in literature.

The whole world has been plagued by an epidemic of blindness. People lose their sight one by one, and no one can explain why. Authorities decide to quarantine all infected in an abandoned hospital outside the city. An ophthalmologist and his wife, who imitates blindness, are left to stay with her beloved husband. She is trying to teach blind people to adapt to an unfamiliar place. However, the hospital soon overflows, and patients-prisoners begin to build their own hierarchy, in which there is no place for the weak.

It’s better to read about pandemics rather than face them in real life. Therefore, read books sitting on your favorite couch, and everything will definitely be fine. Stay healthy J