One of the most important preparations for my forthcoming treatment is filling up my Kindle with plenty of books to read. Reading was the main thing that kept me sane during my first cancer journey in 2013. I read over 100 books that year.
What I discovered then was that I needed something different to my usual reading. Normally I enjoy a crime novel or a thriller with a complicated plot. They became too much of a challenge, as there would be frequent interruptions and it was often difficult to concentrate.
So I'm preparing a selection of lighter reading this time. I've got some chick-lit, some regency romances, and I'm going to reread some of the childhood books I used to enjoy, like all the E.E. Nesbit ones. My favourite authors are George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway so I'm including them. It's many years since I read all their books and I think I'll be comforted by reading something loved and familiar. I always get the free Kindle books so I'm checking each day as titles are often only free for a limited period.
My previous cancer journey introduced me to Harry Potter. A friend bought me a book as a get well present. It was the 7th Harry Potter book. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as I didn't think it was my sort of thing. Loved it though, and ended up reading the earlier 6 books as I wanted to know all the back story.
I'm a pretty determined person and I'd like to be able to say I've never given up on a book. There is one exception though. I've never managed to finish War And Peace. It's still on my Kindle from 2013, I gave up a quarter of the way through. Who knows, perhaps I might even get it finished now!
