FWIW, the isolation can be a source of opportunity as you are freed from ordinary distractions. Many years ago I read a bunch of the great works of literature

FWIW, the isolation can be a source of opportunity as you are freed from ordinary distractions. Many years ago I read a bunch of the great works of literature during a long winter of discontent. None of the books were "assigned" or "required" as it was just me saying "OK, War and Peace, let's see what all the fuss is about." And some of those books are still some of my absolute favorites to this day. YMMV