A Ton of Celebrities Are Turning Coronavirus Quarantine Into Virtual Story Time & We Love It

As we’re all self-isolating thanks to the coronavirus, the lack of our usual human interaction can be tough. A lot of people have come up with some creative ways to stay connected, including a whole bunch of literature-based ideas. Maybe you’ve moved your book club over to Zoom. Or maybe you want to sit back and let celebrities read to you, which is something a LOT of them are doing right now.

Here are some of my personal favorites.

Dolly Parton reads bedtime stories

“Goodnight with Dolly” starts this Thursday with The Little Engine That Could and will continue weekly with books from her nonprofit The Imagination Library, which mails books to young kids.

LeVar Burton Reads!

Last week, LeVar Burton tweeted that he’d been trying to figure out some sort of way to do a livestream version of his podcast LeVar Burton Reads, but copyright issues were standing in the way. After Neil Gaiman and publishing giant Harper Collins gave him permission to use their catalogues, it’s happening! He’ll be dedicating different days to stories for different age ranges, starting with something by Neil Gaiman this Friday!

Samuel L. Jackson reads Stay the F*ck at Home

Jackson has followed up his popular reading of Adam Mansbach’s book Go the F*ck to Sleep with the timely Stay the F*ck at Home.

Patrick Stewart is reading us sonnets

Patrick Stewart has been reading a Shakespearean sonnet a day and it’s impossibly soothing. You can watch on Instagram or Twitter.

Henry Cavill reads The Witcher

This one isn’t specifically coronavirus-inspired since it’s from December 2019 (approximately 89 years ago) but we still think it should be on the list.

Phoebe Judge reads us a mystery novel

Phoebe Judge is the host of one my absolute favorite podcasts, Criminal (also This Is Love) and she has, hands-down, one of the best voices in podcasting if not the world. She’s also launched a new podcast called Phoebe Reads a Mystery, which is just what it sounds like. Every episode is a different chapter from a mystery novel, read aloud. I hope she’ll keep going after this one is done but for now, she’s reading Agatha Christie’s first published novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

Save With Stories

It’s absolutely disgraceful for us as a nation that when schools shut down, tens of millions of children are at risk of going hungry. Save With Stories is working with other nonprofits to provide much-needed meals (as well as educational supplies) to those kids. Here are just a few of my own favorite examples of celebrities drawing attention to this cause. (And text SAVE to 20222 to donate a quick $10 or visit their website to donate another amount.)

Beanie Feldstein (and her dog Jackie) reading Boot & Shoe by Marla Frazee

Brie Larson reading Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andrae.

Lupita Nyong’o reading Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima.

Laura Dern reading Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Gabrielle Union reading Hair Love by Matthew Cherry

Chris Evans reading If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff

There are a TON more videos over on Save With Stories’ Instagram.

Have you seen any other celebrity storytimes? Is literature something you’re seeking comfort in right now? Let us know in the comments!

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Vivian Kane

Vivian Kane (she/her) is the Senior News Editor at The Mary Sue, where she's been writing about politics and entertainment (and all the ways in which the two overlap) since the dark days of late 2016. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she gets to put her MFA to use covering the local theatre scene. She is the co-owner of The Pitch, Kansas City’s alt news and culture magazine, alongside her husband, Brock Wilbur, with whom she also shares many cats.

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