5 Must-Read Books To Entertain You When Boredom Strikes You

This blog covers the 5 must-read books to entertain you when boredom strikes you, especially if you are stuck at home or prefer time alone. At last, the crisis of the 2020s has made people realise that the idea of an infinitely long vacation wears out soon if you are unaware of means to comfort and develop yourself.

Once you are done with your excessive screen times and unhealthy indulgences, here's a list of handpicked 5 must-read books to entertain that even the non-readers can read!

1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

• First Published by T Egerton, Whitehall on 28 January 1813

• Genre: Romantic Fiction

• Insight: Set in 19th century rural England, Pride and Prejudice follow the life of the Bennett Family. A classic domestic drama filled with sarcasm & witty comments (from the very first line), this dose of entertainment is also one of the must-read books in Literature.

2. Red Dragon, Thomas Harris

• First Published by GP Putnam's Sons, Dell Publishing (USA) on October 1981

• Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller (Hannibal Lecter Series)

• Insight: An immensely dark and gory novel featuring one of the most vicious villains known to man – Hannibal the Cannibal. If you are crazy about The Family Man, CID, Mentalist, Asur or any other thrillers–you'll forget them all once you read this classic! Full of enigmatic serial killers and easy-to-be-preyed-upon investigators, this psychological thriller masterpiece will keep you on your toes!

3. Assassin's Creed: Forsaken, Oliver Bowden

• First Published by Ace Books, Dell Publishing (USA) on 4 December 2012.

• Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, History (Book Based On Video Games)

• Insight: One of its kind books. This companion book is the third instalment of the Assassin's Creed franchise video game Assassin's Creed III. It recounts the game's events from Haytham Kenway's perspective (the game's protagonist's father). Moreover, many fans consider this book to be even better than the story of the original game!

4. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

• First Published by Norstedts Förlag (in Swedish) in August 2005. (In English: January 2008)

• Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller (Scandinavian Noir)

• It features Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced reporter hired by Henrik Vanger, a retired industry tycoon. He is asked to investigate the 40-years-old disappearance of Vanger's niece, Harriett Vanger. With a dozen awards & accolades on its name (also TV adaptation!), this book has made a dent in the crime thriller novels!

5. A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking

• First Published by Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988.

• Genre: Science, Space, Non-Fiction

• Insight: This masterpiece by Hawking asks some of the biggest questions known to man. Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or have boundaries? This book reviews theories by the giants of science (Newton and Einstein) and then delves into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time.

Above 5 must-read books to entertain will keep you occupied for some time. This carefully curated list has a book for every reader – the thriller-lover, the romance fanatic and the thinker. However, for the best experience, we recommend reading all 5.

Why are Indian masterpieces not part of this list? Well, who doesn't know about the great books by English India Author (The Guide, In Custody, A Fine Balance, White Tiger, A Suitable Boy, and hundreds more). Every other list has them. Pick any! But if you really want to shake things up and focus on desi, why not begin with Silappatikaram, Geeta, Godaan (Premchand) or Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore)? 

As to where to find them, these books are so popular that you can easily find them on all the top e-commerce sites (from Kindle to Flipkart), both as e-book and offline paperbacks.