7 Books to Stay Motivated in Quarantine

“There is no melancholy a book can’t cure.”

Readers, don’t you agree?

The world is experiencing something no one had ever imagined. Close to 2 months of global lockdown indicates the gravity of the pandemic. That said, not all of us are finding the confinement to our liking. While we are trying to make the most of the quarantine period, confined at home, not all of us have been truly optimistic of the times to come. I, for one, haven’t been feeling very motivated to pursue my passions or regulars.

To help those out who have been lacking positivity, I have curated this list of books that will pump you up with optimism and spark up motivation. The best of the people have gone through such phases, and it is only natural to feel this way given the circumstances. But we should never lose hope and be on a constant lookout for a healthy escape from the dejection this unprecedented paralysis has forced on us.

To that effect, here is a list of some of the best books to read for motivation during the lockdown. Hope you find this list helpful and jump back onto the speeding bandwagon of life, with zeal.

Wings of Fire: An Autobiography

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the son of a little-educated boat-owner in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, had an unparalleled career as a defence scientist, culminating in the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna. As chief of the country’s defence research and development programme, Kalam demonstrated the great potential for dynamism and innovation that existed in seemingly moribund research establishments. This is the story of Kalam’s rise from obscurity and his personal and professional struggles, as well as the story of Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag-missiles that have become household names in India and that have raised the nation to the level of a missile power of international reckoning. This is also the saga of independent India’s struggle for technological self-sufficiency and defensive autonomy-a story as much about politics, domestic and international, as it is about science.

Genre: Biography
Pages: 180

The Alchemist

Here is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers into the Egyptian desert where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.

This is a story that teaches us, as only few stories can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path and, above, all follow our dreams.

Genre: Philosophy, Motivational
Pages: 177

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 — and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.

Genre: Writing
Pages: 320

Love Among the Bookshelves

Part memoir, part anthology, Love among the Bookshelves is a glimpse into Ruskin’s life through the books he has loved and an introduction to some forgotten classics. Here’s a list of must-reads if you are an aspiring author or just simply a reader or lover of books.

Genre: Memoir
Pages: 185

Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the World

Neil Gaiman once said that ‘the world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before’. This little book is the embodiment of that vision. Drawn together from speeches, poems and creative manifestos, Art Matters explores how reading, imagining and creating can change the world, and will be inspirational to young and old.

Genre: Writing
Pages: 101

Kahlil Gibran’s Little Book of Life

In this beautiful gift book, we discover the essential wisdom about what it means to be alive. For Gibran life is the energy that saturates all we see and feel–as well as what we can only imagine. Here are over 100 fables, aphorisms, parables, stories, and poems from the author of The Prophet.

Genre: Poetry
Pages: 224

The Instant Millionaire

This delightful allegory by self-made millionaire Mark Fisher imparts the principles of wealth as Fisher learned them. A dissatisfied young man meets an old millionaire who reveals to him the secrets of acquiring not just material abundance, but also true wealth.

Genre: Psychology, Finance
Pages: 144

In no particular order of preference, these books have helped me immensely, at different times, in different ways. Most of these books I’ve read more than once, and I bet you’ll too. Let’s indulge ourselves in the magic of these books and have our wells of motivation hydrated, during the lockdown

✍Question of the day✍

Name a book that has been your powerhouse of motivation.

Happy reading till we meet next.

Until then, carpe diem! 🙂

~~~~~

© Asha Seth

Stay in touch.
Subscribe Now: Youtube| Twitter| Instagram| Facebook| Tumblr