Monday 19 January 2009

Monday Musings

How does your being sick (or injured) affect your reading? Do you read more? Less? Do you pick out a different book than you had already planned? Do you have a "comfort book" that makes you feel better?

Hmmm, this question really made me think. As an adult i don't get ill very often, cough and colds that other people get seem to pass me by, which is a good thing! I did recently have a kidney infection though which left me alternating between being in excruciating pain and away with the fairies when the painkillers were working! I read a lot during this time because I couldn't move very far or very fast. What I actually did was re-read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles because I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I didn't think much about this at the time but thinking back now, it was probably a world I could get lost in without too much effort because I've read them before.

As a child I was occasionally ill, and would spend most of the time wrapped up on the sofa. But I did have specific books I would read then. It was always Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton, or Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. These were my favourite childhood books so this was obviously jut escapism or easy reading!

4 comments:

Marie Cloutier said...

Depending on how sick I get, mostly I just sleep. When I sprained my ankle last year and couldn't move, I read a lot!:-)

Kara said...

I think my reading slows down and I do turn to comfort reads...I'm just glad my reading doesn't stop - LOL.

Kim said...

Enid Blyton is an author I missed out on when I was growing up. Her books look delightful! I also totally missed Noel Streatfield! How this happened I do not know, as I was voracious reader back then.
*smiles*
Kim

Jo said...

Marie, luckily I've never been so poorly that all I want to do is sleep. When I had my kidney problem it was too painful to sleep anyway so I needed something to take my mind off it.

Kara, I can't imagine stopping reading either. But Thank God I've never been that poorly!

Kim, I only ever read the school based ones. I so wanted to go to boarding school and have midnight feasts and stuff. I tried to get my son to read the famous five but he was having none of it. Not enough dragons! Lol. Ballet Shoes was one of my mum's childhood favourite that she passed on to me and I shall pass onto my daughter when she's old enough .