When Harris lost the presidential election last year, I knew I would have to devise a strategy to help me cope with the anticipated chaos. I had overdosed on news in the previous Republican administration and knew I couldn’t go down the same road.

(I will not use his name, by the way)

This has been one of the most successful strategies ever, if I do say so myself. What did I do? I decided to read constantly. Read only compelling books that make me want to carry them everywhere. If I start a book and it is a dud, ditch it right away. This is The Time To Blot Out News Through Fabulous Books. And boy, have I read some good ones.

I read a variety of books – but mostly contemporary fiction. Given the state of the world lately I have added a lot more dystopian fiction. For some reason it helps a little. Plus, in a pinch I might know a bit better how to survive the coming apocalypse, right?

At the top? Woodworking by Emily St. James. A wonderful novel. “An unforgettable and heartwarming book-club debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.”

Peter Heller’s The Orchard was a big favorite. “Peter Heller is unique in his ability to capture the beauty and nuance of the natural world and its pull on women and men. In The Orchard, he pairs evocative storytelling with jewel-like poems—Hayley’s translations of her most beloved Tang poet, Li Xue—that echo Hayley and Frith’s life in the wilderness and tell their own tale of mother and daughter. By turns joyful and searing, The Orchard examines the fragility of childhood, motherhood, romantic love, and friendship, and celebrates the enduring solace of nature.”

Juice by Tim Winton is another book I couldn’t put down. Beautifully written about a future that none of us want. “An epic novel of determination, survival, and the limits of the human spirit. This is Tim Winton as you’ve never read him before.”

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall gives us a glimpse into another future – one that is mostly flooded. “In the tradition of Station Eleven, a literary thriller set partly on the roof of New York’s Museum of Natural History in a flooded future.”

Amal El-Mohtar’s The River Has Roots is a world of fantasy. Just suspend belief and give it a try. “Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death.
“Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.”

Coming Up For Air by Sarah Leipciger takes us into a variety of lives. “Moving effortlessly across time and space and taking inspiration from an incredible true story, Coming Up for Air is a bold, richly imagined novel about love, loss, and the immeasurable impact of every human life.”

Maybe you will like some of these books too – you never know, they might help you get through these very troubling times. If you want to know more of what I’m reading, check out the Goodreads link to the right.