These are some of the best books to crack open during the pandemic.
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Online Editor
Reading these days almost feels like a lost art. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging on and limiting some activities, now is as good of a time as any to crack open a book.
The following are books released this year that are worth checking out. They range in genre, length, and content. They are in no particular order.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins
If someone says they’ve never heard of The Hunger Games, they’re lying.
Although the original trilogy of books ended in 2010, Suzanne Collins returned this year with a new prequel novel directly related to the saga, “The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes.”
The novel is notable for not focusing at all on Katniss Everdeen or any of the characters we knew from years past. It instead focuses on the main villain of the series, President Corneilus Snow of Panem, in his youth. While Snow isn’t the corrupt version of the man who leads the nation decades later, “Songbirds and Snakes” explains the backstory of what got him there.
Set 64 years before the start of the first novel, Snow and his family are living in poverty in the Capital, and he is chosen to mentor a tribute from a surprising district in order to win a scholarship to Panem’s University. The games, put in place as a battle royal to death between children of the nation’s 12 “districts” in response to a failed attempt at a rebellion, are nothing like the televised games from the original trilogy. The book slowly reveals that the way that the “modern-day” games are presented was largely conceived by Snow.
The book is full of fantastic, meaningful “easter eggs” for long-time fans of the series, but the book can appeal to new readers as well, despite it’s long length. It’s a fantastic story that is worth a read.
“Rage” by Bob Woodward
Books about the Presidency of Donald Trump are not in short supply, and even Bob Woodward himself had already written one back in 2018, titled “Fear: Trump In The White House.” What makes this follow-up book stand out from the pack, however, is the recency of the topics discussed, as well as the fact that unlike “Fear,” Woodward spoke directly with the President himself.
At the request of the President himself, Woodward, the journalist who helped break the Watergate Scandal that led to the downfall of Richard Nixon’s Presidency, spoke with Trump 18 times for over nine hours of interviews… and recorded all of the conversations. Some of those conversations have been released to the media, and shine an intense, critical light on Trump and the way he’s run the country and navigated the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Trump has denounced the book, the quotes aren’t made up… it’s all on tape. The book is worth a read, if nothing else because of its undoubtably historical implications.
No matter what happens in November or beyond, the effects of the information revealed in “Rage” will forever have a lasting impact on Trump and his political career.
“Under The Black Hat” by Jim Ross
Even if you’re not a wrestling fan, you’ve definitely heard the voice of Jim Ross somewhere. The longtime pro wrestling commentator has been in the business since the 1970’s, and he has loads of stories to tell, both professional and personal.
“Under The Black Hat” picks up where Ross’ first book left off in 1999, telling his story up to the present day. Ross, long considered to be the best to put on a headset, details his anxiety and frustrations about being “put out to pasture” by his longtime employer long before he was ready, as well as his reactions to the bullying, corporate difficulties and personal hardships that he endured. The book ends on a happy note, but the journey to get there was a difficult one for Ross. This book is definitely worth a read, even if you’re not a wrestling fan.
