There is a very good case for not turning away from the news right now, and for looking at things that pull you out of your comfort zone and make you see the world differently. That said, there are ways to do this that don't involve endlessly scrolling on your phone and instead seeking out experiences unlike your own in the pages of a book.

No form of escapism is more pure than a book, whose pages can pull you to the other side of the world and plant you in the middle of a stranger's life. Should you wish to escape reality for a while, these works offer distance from the familiar: whether that is another point in history, a different country to your own, or a point of view that feels more exciting than the here and now.