You’re probably reading and hearing a lot about coronavirus — the symptoms, its spread around the world, the calls for “social distancing.”

If the constant news and updates are making you anxious, consider one of these novels or stories. You wouldn’t be alone: Publishers are reporting booming sales for books whose fictional plots revolve around pandemics, including Albert Camus’s “The Plague” and Ling Ma’s “Severance.” And while many of these books conjure an all-out apocalypse, you might find comfort in dipping into a fictional worst-case scenario — and, with some of them, seeing how the characters make it out alive.

[ Looking for more information about other real-life epidemics? Here’s an essential reading list. ]