Everytime I cycle I feel the need to escape so I read. I am a huge reader. After I graduated college with a degree in English Lit (surprise!), I worked in NYC for years in publishing (free books). I read good books, critically aclaimed books, books that have won awards, and, for the last 2 years especially, absolutely crap books. Don't take this the wrong way - I love "crap" books. These are the ones that you read just for fun. No merit but escapism. These are the books that you don't really need to learn anything from, just get lost in and enjoy yourself. So, I put together some ideas if some of you fellow IVFers are looking for books to read to escape, for bedrest, or just because you like to read. There are 3 or 4 series that you totally get hooked on so that you may forget you are in the 2ww. Here are my favorite choices:
1. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series! Yup, this gets top billing. This is 14 books following the same characters, who never age, nor ever actually change or go anywhere, but they are so much fun you will be laughing (even if you are going through a bad ectopic beta hell, like I did while reading these). If you haven't read these and you have some free time or are going on a beach vacation, take them with you. They will absolutely NOT remind you of IF or the real world.
2. Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series. Okay, this is 1 of 2 vampire series I will be mentioning and though I am not a huge fan of the vampire thing myself, these books are just plain fun to read. This is the storyline for HBO's True Blood series and the books do not resemble the series much at all. These are not overly sexy or graphic, but are definitely fun to read and you really get attached to the characters. Again, you won't learn anything useful but you also won't be reading about someone else's pain and suffering and how horrible the world is. Just fun.
3. Second Vampire series I will mention - The Twilight Trilogy by Stephanie Meyer. Yes, these books were written for teenagers but heck, Harry Potter was written for kids and we love those books! I read these while I was going through IVF #6 in Colorado. I started the first one on the plane and finished it. Started #2 pre-ER. and made DH run out after ER to get me #3 so that I could read it while recovering and then on bedrest after ET. These are fun books to read. The language is a little flowery for adults, but they are fast moving, imaginative, and interesting nonetheless. I was really disappointed when I finsihed #3 and there were no more.
4. If some of these are a little too "out there" I've also read a bunch of the Joanna Fluke books "carrot cake" murder, etc. The first few were entertaining enough (though they read sort of like watching an episode of Murder She Wrote). They have some good recipes in them -at least it is fun to read recipes along with the murder mystery. But, to be honest, you can only take so many of these books. They don't read fast enough to really distract you completely from every day life and you do eventually get annoyed at the main character's blandness and old-lady-ness (I know that isn't a word, but you get the idea). I actually can't read any more of these (after 3 or 4 I think) because I get so annoyed that the main character is supposed to be in her early to mid-30's and acts older than my mom. Not to mention, they are a little formulaic for me (which is crazy b/c the Evanovich books are totally formulaic and I read all 14!).
So, those are some of my suggestions. Charlaine Harris has a new one coming out in May so I think I will get that and bring it to CO for my bedrest. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I've been reading books in between these and have found some fun ones but none that totally "took me over" like my first 3 choices. I don't ususally have that much time to read, but when I am upset or stressed I fill up any spare time with books...and of course, when I am stuck in another state without money to do fun things, I read. So, since I am going down that road again...some fun suggestions, maybe? Oh and I avoid anything serious and anything IF related during this time:-)
14 comments:
I was thinking the other day what books I will read when I am on bedrest:) I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Janet Evanovich books. My mom, sis and my sis's FIL and I all keep passing them amongst ourselves to read. I keep thinking about the Twilight trilogy books, but the whole vampire thing is a little different than what I like to read. I may have to buy the first one to check it out.
Thanks for the encouragement on my blog today. It is hard not to brace for the worst. A year ago I was confident that we would have success, now I don't seem to have quite the confidence I used too:) It is nice to have people kicking me in the butt and giving encouragement. Thanks a million!:)
Oh, and the dildo-cam was just fabulous today!!!:):)
I love to read, too. But I will say this, I couldn't get through one of those Janet E. books. Just wasn't for me at all.
I've been on a memoir reading kick lately... and since memoirs are usually written by people who have struggled through something, they've been good to remind me that I'm not the only one with problems.
Get loaded up with good stuff for your bed rest with those two perfect embies!!
What a great list and I will definitely be checking out some of those books for my next trip. I've heard that Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is very good and I have the first book but haven't read it yet. I'm saving it for Denver but there are about 7 books in that series and it came highly recommended to me by a friend. As for memoirs, I like to read the ones about the celebrity chefs. Jacques Pepin wrote The Apprentice; Paula Dean's memoir was very refreshing (can't eat her food but she is a very interesting woman and her life was far from easy); Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain was also good; there is a collection called Don't Try This At Home which is mainly anecdotal, short stories ranging from a few pages to longer tales of adventures in the kitchen from all sorts of famous chefs (this one had a few laughs). GL stocking up for your trip to pick up your embies!
I love Soo.kie!!!! Check out Patricia Brigg.s, Carr.ie Vau.ghn Kit.ty Nor.ville series (last two books in series kind of crappy but first 5 or so were AWESOME), Kim Harri.son's witch series (all named after clint east.wood movies.
If you want to rip your head off, read the road by Corma.c McCar.thy - heavy but amazing.
Finally, my all time favorite book series is the dark tower series by ste.phen kin.g - I also loved the st.and by Ste.phen Kin.g
Reading on bed rest is so much better than watching TV! If you like Harry Potter, then you should like the whole Eragon series. It was written by a teenager for teenagers, but very good and more complex than the Harry Potter books.
I had no idea who Stephanie Plum was... and read Ten Big One's FIRST! I quite liked her writing style, which I agree is very formulaic... but a true escape from the real world... and the laughter it evoked.. I ended up figuring out that this was sort of a series... but loved the fact that I read it out of sequence, with out any harmful effects.
I also read the Suki S series... and being the vampire lover that I am not... enjoyed those!
My friend put me onto these... I also read another series of vampire stories... and I can remember the names of them... ( I would have to leave this computer, and go to the one in the other room.. because I have kept a notation of the books that I have read... since I have ahugely failing memory... my friend also put me onto these....) which again is interesting I am not a vampire lover...
I enjoyed them anyways!
Re: your comment
Yes, Schoolie said that we can revitrify since this new freezing technique is supposedly better. I hope he is right. Mostly, I hope one of those embies is the one that will make me a mom. :D
Oh I loved the Stephanie Plum series too - totally light, leave your brains at home, no stress kind of books! They kept me smiling through a couple of IVFs last year! :-)
I've also enjoyed the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series. Light and fun.
Great post, I'm just searching for some crap books to read! Will check out the Evanovich books, have always meant to try them.
FYI, there is a fourth book in the Twilight series, I was afraid it would be boring but it was great. I really enjoyed those books even though they are not my usual.
The Outlander series is great, but a little more in depth than Twilight or Harry Potter. If you are into "realistic" fantasy the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is wonderful, 11 books and great to read all the way through. These are both a little heavier reading.
For a complete fluff read, try the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. They are fun and set in Egypt around the 1900s. There are probably at least 14, they follow this independent woman through a bunch of archeological discoveries - NOT historically accurate but excellent for brainless reading I thought.
Sorry for the enormous post, but what a great idea! Hope to pick up some of your recommmendations at the library today.
Hmmm, I have no suggestions for you, as I mainly read religious books. But it sounds like you've got a great list going there for your bedrest time! I'll be keeping an eye on your progress!
Great book reommendations...thank you! (I was an English Lit major too.) Even though I normally wouldn't read something like the Twilight series, I recently saw the movie (which I have to say I loved) and now cannot wait to read them all.
I don't know how I missed reading about your two normals -- congratulations!!! That is great news!!! Interesting, because tomorrow is actually MY 5w3d from when the lab should have received them -- maybe your luck will rub off on me!
I can't stand history books. I'm more into sophie kinsella and chick lit.
This is not the first time I have heard of the "Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series" ... but of course, when I was at Barnes and Nobles on Saturday morning I COULD NOT remember the author or the series ... such a loser!
Looking forward to time flying by quickly while we wait to get you all knocked up :)
Someone else recommended "Water for Elephants" a year or more ago. I read the summary and was really hesitant to pick it up even though it had very good reviews on Amazon. I finally read it last week and it is really fabulous. Amazing character development and an enthralling story to boot.
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