Which books should you read while self-isolating from coronavirus?

This position recommends reading the classics while self-isolating, arguing that quarantine finally affords the time for famously long works once set aside. Suggested titles include Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year, Dickens's Great Expectations, and Tolstoy's War and Peace.

This position recommends self-help books while self-isolating, arguing that time alone makes self-acceptance and personal growth feel more important than ever. Suggested titles include The Power of Now, Grit, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and Sinclair's Lifespan.

This position recommends science fiction as reading for self-isolation. It argues that, with the pandemic making life feel dystopian, one might as well lean in — suggesting works like 1984, Blindness, The Andromeda Strain and Under the Dome that mirror or offer escape from the moment.

This position recommends short stories as reading for self-isolation. It argues that a story a day suits a fractured, anxious time — bite-sized fiction that can be finished in one sitting — suggesting collections like The Thing Around Your Neck and This Is How You Lose Her.

This position recommends reading biographies while self-isolating, asking how admired figures handled their own times of crisis. Suggested titles include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gandhi's The Story of My Experiments with Truth, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

This position recommends reading current-events and political books while self-isolating. It suggests works engaging with the political climate of the moment — such as Dave Eggers's satire The Captain and the Glory — that offer comic relief and perspective during a time of crisis.