FIVE BOOKS TO DISTRACT YOU FROM COVID 19
Nothing sounds more spy catcher than the code name of a virus rampaging the world and taking no prisoners. The coronavirus and all the news overload concerning it is worthy. We all must take care of ourselves in these uncertain times, wash hands frequently, have a sanitiser in your bag and use as often as […]
Nothing sounds more spy catcher than the code name of a virus rampaging the world and taking no prisoners. The coronavirus and all the news overload concerning it is worthy. We all must take care of ourselves in these uncertain times, wash hands frequently, have a sanitiser in your bag and use as often as you can, stay away from sneezes, phlegm and major coughers as well as crowded places. We are indeed facing one of the world’s more mysterious and dangerous diseases. Spreading like wildfire around the world, it’s bound to have us all in panic and for the young and old anxiety ridden. This week, I want us to get some joy from a collection of books that should slow the panic and give those on a two-week self-quarantine something to keep their minds alive, not numb from thinking of a terrifying spy arriving unannounced everywhere…COVID 19. Wow! As a screenplay writer, I know that my Hollywood and Nollywood colleagues are sharpening their teeth for horror movies bearing this unbelievable code name. ‘The 19 COVIDERS’, ‘The grim end of COVID 19’, ‘The symphony of the COVIDS’. I have given several movies a thought with these titles. They are also copyrighted so don’t even think about it. Lol. Anyways here are five books to help you manage through and get your mind elsewhere, temporarily.
1 The Spy and the traitor by Ben Macintyre. This is the ultimate spy book and the joy is that it is, in fact, a nonfiction book. Set in the ’80s against the backdrop of Putin and Margaret Thatcher, it is an amazing book which even a fiction writer could not have thought up.M15, KGB and a cast of nefarious double agents. A truly good book to read when you think COVID 19 might just be an infiltration from a UFO to make the world uncomfortable. But this one is real stories of all kinds of agents in the ’80s and it is simply a “could not put it down scorcher” Grab a copy and dig in!
2 Parting the waters by Taylor Branch. This is a history of the civil rights movement and one of the greatest reads concerning that slice of history. It is superbly written and there are many civil rights victories therein. If we are to be mad at this time, let us read this book and be mad at those racists during the civil rights movements. Those who could not help themselves, who raped black men’s wives and daughters for revenge, who tried to silence black men and women. Let us look closely at COVID 19 as it avoids the black population. Is this even more spy like than I think? Is there a law of retribution here? Reports have it that initial tests indicate that it may not survive in high temperatures. Wooha!
3 The never ending Story by Michael Ende. This is coming highly recommended by a friend. Forget the movies she says. You just enter this book and you will not regret it. At a time when the world is caving to peer pressure and copycat syndrome, this book has loads of messages about loving yourself just the way you are. Highly recommended COVID 19 or not. Stay true!
4. Ascend of a Bookworm by Miyi Kazuki. This book is for fantasy lovers and honestly, we all should be in the face of Coronavirus. I mean what disease sounds like a car, like a tech object and also as a famous spy. If we cannot cry too hard, let us ease the tension by laughing a little. This book is a translation from Japanese light novels. A Japanese woman dies and reincarnates as a sickly 6-year-old peasant girl who loves books. Then she can’t find any. So she creates hers, pen, paper, ink and all. Then she tries to upend the social order through her books. A magical story. Time to think less about COVID 19 and enter a fantasy world.
5. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster. A highly recommended sweetly funny romantic epistolary novel from 1912. Romantic stories are good at this time and during epidemics and pandemics, we still fall in love. Funny how they say we should not touch each other.
Stay well. Stay safe. Stay healthy and do not put yourself at risk. Also do not propagate rumours and fake news. As the Yoruba’s have helped us with humorous lexicon. Eku Corona ooh!