Three books to get you out of that quarantine-induced reading slump

There are plenty of moments when I have been asked "What is your favourite book?" when I tell people I spend a lot of my time reading. I get confused, forget I have ever read anything and turn into a bumbling mess. It's hard to pick a favourite, but there are definitely books that I can mention off the top of my head when someone mentions that they're having a hard time with picking a book and sticking to it.

Here are three standalone books of different genres that I believe would get most of you out of that slump you might find yourselves in:

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Because that's what the story is really about: getting out of paying your debts.

This story follows Miryem, the daughter of the town's moneylender. She takes over for her father as he fails to collect his debts, and finds herself attracting fearsome creatures who desire gold above all else. This atmospheric retelling of Rumpelstiltskin is exciting, has a layered plot, is full of complex characters, and will leave you wanting to get your hands on the authors other work.

---

We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchison:

"Your entire sense of self-worth is predicated upon your belief that you matter, that you matter to the universe. But you don't. Because we are the ants."

I came across this one when I was constantly dissatisfied with what I picked up to read. A teenage boy named Henry is abducted by aliens. The aliens tell him that the world is about to end, but that he has the chance to prevent it by pressing a red button. However, Henry struggles to decide if the world is worth saving, he is incredibly depressed and unhappy with his relationships with his family. The premise of this story might sound far fetched, but it is full of characters who are written in enough detail to (almost) make you forget who the protagonist is. Henry asks them all if they would save the world, and they offer him interesting responses based on what they were going through. This book is written incredibly well, and the last bit just blew me away.

---

All The Ugly And Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood:

Right up until that moment it was sweet and funny. Odd couple that they were, they had a real connection. Then he tugged her boot off and kissed the bottom of her bare foot. I could see him doing that kind of thing to his own kid, but she wasn’t. She was somebody else’s little girl.

I admit this is a controversial read. I couldn't really believe that this idea would work. You might read the premise - an older man falling in love with a younger girl - and think Lolita, but this book is just very different. It is a story that spans around fifteen years, told from the point of view of various people, including the main characters. The events are narrated in a way that makes you angry, hurt, disgusted, but never in a manipulative way that tells you how you feel. Most importantly, this story might just make you sympathise with a people that you never imagined you'd sympathise with.

I believe that these books have something in them for every reader. What would you recommend to get me out of a reading slump?