books

For years after having ECT I couldn't read books. I could make my way through e-mails with effort. And sometimes read short magazine articles. But books were beyond my capabilities. It totally shot my short term memory and ability to focus and concentrate to the degree that reading a book required. And it was devastating. My entire life books were a wonderful escape. A place I could go where I could become immersed in a foreign world or topic and forget the rest of the world. For over 4 years I've been trying to get that back. And finally this summer something clicked, or enough time had passed, or who knows why, but I could read novels again.

So I've been pretty much going through my public library's science fiction and fantasy section bit by bit. That's one of my favorite genres so it's very much enjoyable to do this. About once a week J and I walk the 2 miles to the library to exchange books. The funny thing about my town's library is it's like they practically Never have the entire set of any series. Either they never invested in the whole thing to begin with or as books have not been returned or have been lost they never replaced it. So I've read bits and pieces of many series, never from start to finish though. I could always use the inter-library borrowing system that's on the computers, but I haven't done that yet.

Right now I'm reading some terrific fantasy series by the Welsh author Jasper Fforde. His writing is full of puns and literary plays on words and that very much appeals to me. It's basically why The Phantom Tollbooth is one of my favorite books too. And The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy series is too. Neither of those are by Fforde, but similar hilarious styles. Fforde has written the Thursday Next series and a series about nursery rhyme crime. So far I've read books in both series and they're equally terrific. I highly recommend. For the Thursday Next series it helps if you have previously read many classics of any genre from Gothic to Poetry as he references many famous and important literary works in the series. To understand many of the subplots it helps to have at least some understanding of the works that he is referencing. And for the Nursery Crime Division well knowing (or at least remembering) your basic popular nursery rhymes helps.

I am very much delighted that I've been able to read again. It's a great way to eat up time on a quiet day.