A lot of people are still confined in their houses due to the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown. As some are hit by boredom, one of the most excellent activities to do is read. So to help the public keep themselves busy and entertained, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, shared her favorite books that will give everyone some comfort in this challenging time.
Prince Charles' wife revealed her favorite books in a local paper in Scotland, using Ernest Hemingway's famous quotes. "There is no friend as loyal as a book," it noted and then revealed her list of recommendations.
Camilla knows that many are finding comfort in reading in this challenging time. This activity will help fire up people's imaginations, take them to different journeys, and make everyone laugh. "With that in mind, here is a list of my dearest 'friends'..." she said.
According to Hello! Magazine, the future queen consort's favorite reads range from Charles Dickens classics to the Amor Towles' new novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, a New York Times bestseller. She also picks some personal books, like her late-brother's memoir, Travels on My Elephant.
Camilla recommends Mark Shand's Restless: A Novel, a tale about wartime that features a resourceful woman in grave danger. She also enlists the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities, which for her is a beautifully romantic story about relationship and familial love set against the violence of the French Revolution. Susan Hill's The Simon Serrailler Series is also part of her list. It is about the brilliant detective that played the lead role in Hill's crime fiction novels.
For something personal, the duchess chose her late brother's, Mark Shand, Travels on my Elephants. She told Express that this tale about her sibling's love for an Asian elephant, named Tara, led to a journey across India, and it always brings tears to her eyes.
Shand was a conservationist and travel writer. He died in 2014 after tragically hitting his head following a fall in New York. Tara was his rescued elephant. He saved the animal from the streets of eastern India and traveled 600 miles across the country to bring her home.
Travels on my Elephants was Shand's best-selling book that also led to the birth of conservation charity Elephant Family. In addition, Elif Shafak's The Architect's Apprentice and Antoine Laurain's The Red Notebook complete Camilla's list of book recommendations.
Meanwhile, Camilla was finally reunited to Prince Charles for the celebration of their 15th wedding anniversary after her husband self-isolated due to the mild symptom of the coronavirus. They distanced themselves from each other for 14 days to avoid the spread of the virus.
