Nothing cures my blahs quicker than losing myself in an all-consuming novel. A book you just cannot put down. A book that allows you to happily shut out the rest of the world.
And during those shakier periods in my life, I’ve found books to be like a best friend.
Like when I was a teenager and my parents were in the midst of a nasty divorce. Throughout those turbulent years, I plowed through a ton of novels--okay, mostly romance--and never came up for air. I especially recall discovering V.C Andrews. I couldn’t put down Flowers in the Attic. Transporting myself into those REALLY messed up characters’ lives helped numb the pain.
I remember thinking at the time: how much worse off those kids are than me. Their parents abandoned them and locked them in the attic!
Recently, I was diagnosed with medical condition. Luckily, it’s nothing life threatening (I hope!), but it was a blow, nevertheless. Gone with the Wind helped quell my anxiety. YES, I know, I never read it! (By the way, whoa, how politically incorrect that novel is).
Again, something about witnessing characters go through such chaos and devastation, helped me realize how minor my own suffering is.
What about you? Any book or author that you read during a rough period in your life that helped assuage some of the pain?
Photo courtesy of Gibsonclaire via Flickr
