Reading, Quarantine, and You

It was a trying time, dear reader, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel (and we just need to hope that it’s not a speeding train)

While quarantine, to put it lightly, sucked total ass, the one saving grace it might be awarded is that it allowed people to reconnect with books.

With no movies to see or places to go people who’d been vehemently opposed to the very concept of reading decided to pick up a book rather than continue to dwell on the existential horror that was 2020. And wouldn’t you know it if they didn’t enjoy the experience? Mind you it’s not all that surprising. I mean, honestly, who wouldn’t want to stare at inked markings for hours on end while vividly hallucinating?

And by that I mean “reading.” Don’t do drugs, kids.

Watching people my age (and older) finally take the plunge and lose themselves in a series is a magic so pure David Blaine weeps at the thought. Hearing them rant about this or that plot thread while realizing the great monetary trap that is walking through a Barnes and Noble….well it just warms the heart I tell you that. It was like seeing a puppy bound towards you while carrying its first twig, knowing one day it will grow to carry branches as thick as your arm.

Still, I haven’t managed to convert all of my friends to the written word (looking at you, Joel. I will not be denied!) and so I must beg the rest of you to give reading a try.

Hell, even if you already have, why not take this as a PSA to jump back into that chapter you’re on, or perhaps crack open that troublesome book that’s sitting on your shelf silently judging you every time you open Disney+ instead?

So are you tired of burning through every show, movie and documentary on Netflix?

Have you stretched your Amazon Prime account to the absolute limit?

Are you trying to avoid doing the dishes or (god forbid) showering?

Well, why not wipe the Cheeto dust from your fingers and pick up a book? Whether you’re revisiting a cherished novel or exploring a new series there’s no time like the present to catch up on some reading.