During this difficult time of closings, lockdowns, and social distancing, love of reading is more important than ever. What better way to spend time by yourself? Going online with an e-reader and library card will get you digital books, audiobooks, newspapers, and magazines. But If you prefer the “real thing” and your physical stack of to-reads is going down fast, I recommend you replenish it with books from betterworldbooks.com or thriftbooks.com , two good sources for used books by mail.
“Books, I found, had the power to make time stand still, retreat or fly into the future.” (Jim Bishop)
“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” (Jhumpa Lahiri)
“An author spends months writing a book, and maybe puts his heart’s blood into it, and then it lies about unread till the reader has nothing else in the world to do.” (W. Somerset Maugham)
Another way to entertain yourself during confinement is to visit dictionary.com, which offers word games (including crosswords), quizzes, quotes, and words of the day. You can watch trivia videos, such as word origins or British slang, or learn about history, current events, grammar, and more.
“I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.” (Steven Wright)
Not in the mood to read or play games? How about trying your hand at writing fiction? Write a story from the viewpoint of a dog, thrilled that his owner has been spending so much time at home. That’s a story suggestion from yet another web site, reedsyprompts.com, which is a blog with lots of other ideas if you need one.
“When you write things down, they sometimes take you places you hadn’t planned.” (Melanie Benjamin)
“There’s always something to write about. If there’s not then you need to live life more aggressively.” (Min Kim)
“Some people have a way with words, and other people. . . oh, uh, not have way.” (Steve Martin)
You can find more inspiration for things to do while the library is closed, at longmontcolorado.gov under “Things to do while the library is closed.”
