Your Quarantine TBR List

Books have the ability to transport us to different worlds, galaxies, and let us take a few steps in different character’s shoes, which make them a great companion during the COVID-19 virus outbreak. They bring us to places outside of our doors that we can’t physically go.

Here are a few of the Pop’s team favorites. Add them to your “To Be Read” pile and let us know how your adventure went. We’ll be waiting on the other side.

Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly

“These are fun books to read and I like the solving of the mystery and how all the pieces come together through Harry’s detective work. And I like Harry’s no-nonsense, risk-taking, and never give up attitude.” — Lonny S.

For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal… because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam “tunnel rat” who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit. Pitted against enemies inside his own department and forced to make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, Bosch goes on the hunt for a killer whose true face will shock him.

Kill Devil Hill-Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers by Harry Combs

“This is one of my favorites because I like to see, read and learn about innovation and challenging the status quo in order to make something better.” — Mark F.

An account of the Wright Brothers’ design and construction of their early engine-powered airplane and of their eventual success and fame. Readable yet informative academic account, more than history, an explanation of the brother’s methodical and innovative scientific approach to solving the problem of flight.

Ratio by Michael Ruhlman

“I love to cook at home and this book made me realize that it’s not about recipes but rather about basic ratios and fundamental techniques that make all good food come together, simply. It’s made me a more confident cook without having to rely on recipes. Bon appétit!” — H.Peter C.

Michael Ruhlman’s groundbreaking New York Times bestseller takes us to the very “truth” of cooking: it is not about recipes but rather about basic ratios and fundamental techniques that makes all food come together, simply.

When you know a culinary ratio, it’s not like knowing a single recipe, it’s instantly knowing a thousand.

Why spend time sorting through the millions of cookie recipes available in books, magazines, and on the Internet? Isn’t it easier just to remember 1-2-3?… Ratios are the starting point from which a thousand variations begin.

Ratios are the simple proportions of one ingredient to another… Cooking with ratios will unchain you from recipes and set you free. With thirty-three ratios and suggestions for enticing variations, Ratio is the truth of cooking: basic preparations that teach us how the fundamental ingredients of the kitchen—water, flour, butter and oils, milk and cream, and eggs—work.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

“Great books growing up and I always looked forward to the next book coming out. Also, they are most likely the last actual books I have read, but why read any other books after that!” — Kevin L.

Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That’s because he’s being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he’s really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.

All Books by Mary Roach

“Her approach to scientific and social topics often makes vast concepts, or scary subjects easier to understand, and gives you a peek under the hood of things you’ve always been curious about but didn’t know what, how, or where to ask. She makes difficult topics easier, and hard topics light-hearted while still acknowledging their gravity. She weaves storytelling into facts, and makes learning fun!” — Hannah C.

(From Packing for Mars)

Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t walk for a year? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a spacewalk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 4,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations—making it possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Packing for Mars takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

“Jonathan’s writing through the eyes of a traumatized imaginative empathetic 9-year-old punches you in the gut. The exquisite sentences stayed with me for days afterward and frequently made me pause just to roll the sentences around in my mouth. The story is beautifully written and explores the stories of 9/11 that weren’t covered in the news—the stories of children who suddenly lost their family members and their windy road to healing.” — Tamara W.

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.

The Lonely Silver Rain by John D. MacDonald

“I’ve read all of MacDonald’s Travis McGee books. This was his last one and in my opinion his best, I have probably read it 5-6 times. I am pulled in by MacDonald’s descriptive writing style and character development over the years and the suspense. The main character Travis McGee is a rebel who does the right thing, even if it’s illegal in the plainest sense of the law, but usually, he ends up being right and cares about avenging the wronged. He’s someone I would have a beer with at the end of the day.” — Dan D.

Searching for a wealthy friend’s yacht, Travis McGee puts himself square in the center of the international cocaine trade and finds himself the target of some of the most ruthless villains he’s ever met. Contemplating his own mortality for the first time, Travis McGee discovers amid all the danger the astonishing surprise behind the cat-shaped pipe cleaners someone is leaving at his door. This is vintage McGee in a novel that confirms John D. MacDonald’s reputation as one of the greatest storytellers of all time.

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

“This one is especially compelling as I think it falls into a techno thriller category that is extremely well researched and combines very accurate and detailed descriptions of technology with incredible detail. It combines current events, is well written, and has a believable story line that did not stray too far from real technology or events.” — Curt C.

Somewhere under the freezing Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision. The Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. The chase for the highly advanced nuclear submarine is on—and there’s only one man who can find her…

Brilliant CIA analyst Jack Ryan has little interest in fieldwork, but when covert photographs of Red October land on his desk, Ryan soon finds himself in the middle of a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek played by two world powers—a game that could end in all-out war.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

“I’m a sucker for romance novels and The Notebook is a classic. It is by far the best Nicolas Sparks book!” — Abby K.

Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again.

At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle.

Happy reading!