Losing Myself in Books
“Happiness is finding the first good book in a series and knowing there are many more to follow.”
I am curled up next to an adult – a parent, or grandparent – I’m not quite sure. I am about 4 years old, listening with deep concentration to a story about a tiny family living in the walls of a house. I thought it was a Dutch book, but now I think I must have been listening to a translation of The Borrowers. I remember being mesmerized by the thought that there could be a teeny, little girl like me, living a secret life in the walls of our apartment. This is my first memory of being held captive by a book.
My next memory is from grade 6, caught reading a Harlequin romance in health class by Mr. Springer. I remember feeling a deep shame, not because I had been caught reading a romance, but because he was one of my favourite teachers who had such high hopes for me, and I felt like I was letting him down.
We moved to the West Island, just outside of Montreal when I was 14 years old, a difficult time to change schools. I discovered there were libraries beyond the boundaries of school. The Roxboro Library was a 45-minute walk from my home if I took a shortcut through the cemetery. I walked to the library every week and borrowed my 5-book maximum. This was my historical fiction phase and I read every book by Anya Seton, Frank Yerby, and a dozen other authors. I made a friend and soon Debby and I would walk together. Those historical tomes were heavy and Debby and I would lug them to the pond in the cemetery and stop to catch our breath and ease the cramps in our hands. We would read the synopsis of each of the books and decide who would read which book first. Often, we would spend the rest of the afternoon there, eager to dive into new adventures.
Books and libraries became the backdrop of my life for the next 10 years. They were my escape. We moved again when I was 18-years old, and though I had a tight, small circle of friends, life at home was tense and I was uncertain about my future. I spent hours in the stacks at McGill University, researching and reading. I now rode my bike 4-kilometres every week to borrow books from Pointe Claire Public Library. I delved into women’s literature; I don’t remember it being called feminist literature. Books about Jewish women fascinated me at that point in my life – these women were invincible and their ties to family were deep.
I moved to Jasper, my party phase – and also one of the loneliest, saddest times of my life. I took solace in Jasper Public Library, which at the time was in a beautiful historic building that had been constructed in 1926 as the headquarters for the RCMP. I once again lost myself in books. I vaguely recall a little corner on the second floor, by a window, where I would tuck myself away and read.
Books have been my salvation for most of my life. I have been known to cancel social events because I am lost in a good book. Over the years, my husband has come home from work many nights to a dark house, with only a single light shining down on the book I am reading. And there are many mornings that I have slept late because I read far into the night, allowing myself one more chapter, then another, and then another – until the book was finished! It happened as recently as last night. I began reading Dark August by Katie Tallo late yesterday afternoon and then picked the book up again after dinner. I just couldn’t put the book down and finally turned my light off at nearly midnight.
When I first heard rumours last winter that libraries might be closing last March, I quickly borrowed all the e-books I was allowed and maxed my limit on holds! I also gave myself permission to loosen my book-buying budget, which has always been quite healthy. And I treated myself to a Plum membership at Indigo books, which gave me a 10% discount on all books and free delivery. The result? Well, I just ran the numbers from March until this week –
80 books borrowed from the library
$625 spent on books at Indigo (and that’s only for me! I’ve also spent nearly $300 on books for family and friends.)
$275 spent on e-books from Kobo
This is actually not as much as I thought I had spent – certainly not judging by the many Indigo boxes left at the door! But then I haven’t included the books bought at independent bookstores and the Indigo gift cards I have redeemed. Regardless, an unbelievable amount of reading, considering I have still been doing some consulting, and I have been busy with my blog and writing workshops. Piles of books sit on my bookshelves – in my office, on my nightstand, and at our island home. So what have I been reading?
My favourite escapist reading continues to be murder mysteries. I’ve been reading them since my early married years. I used to devour almost any murder mystery, but no more. I no longer read explicit accounts of murder, rape, and torture, I now much prefer mysteries focused on social issues and family dynamics. My all-time favourite though are murder mystery series, especially those from prolific authors who pump out a book every year! There is the anticipation of waiting for the new book to be published, especially when an author, like Louise Penny, releases a new book almost every August! But really it is about the relationship I develop as a reader, with the main characters in the books. I think my longest relationship has been with Commissario Guido Brunetti, the main character in Donna Leon’s series set in Venice. Leon has been writing the series since 1992, and the 30th book was published in the spring. If you like Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, from Louise Penny’s series, you will also enjoy Brunetti, a quiet man, known to bend the rules when needed, in a country fraught with corruption. Interestingly, while her books are translated into several languages, they are not translated into Italian.
Louise Penny though is by far my favourite mystery writer. Why? Well, she explains it best, “ My books are about many things, including, but far from exclusively, a crime. Murder is an act, and a dreadful one. But I spend a year on each book and it must be about more than a crime. And so each book is inspired by an emotion, a theme, a piece of human nature that puzzles and fascinates.” I think that’s what I enjoy about these series, not the solving of crimes, but rather human nature, the motivation of the characters, and the backstories that have shaped them.
There is no greater joy than discovering a new series, and I tend to binge read new book series much like I do when I discover a new TV series. Over the last couple of years I have discovered some wonderful series and then eagerly anticipate new releases. Have you read the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths? I discovered Ruth, one of my favourite characters, after Griffiths had already written 6 books! The 14th book about this forensic archaeologist comes out in the spring. The Vera Stanhope books by Ann Cleeves were also a delight to discover (as was her Shetland series), and I find Brenda Blethyn’s portrayal of Vera in the TV series spot on – that doesn’t always happen! I could go on and on about the mystery series love to read – I haven’t even told you yet about the crush I have on DC Simon Serrailler! It seems almost an injustice not to mention all my favourites!
These days I am also reading memoirs. I never liked autobiographies but I do enjoy memoirs, especially when they feature life and nature intersecting. My favourite by far this year has been Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Lost by Margaret Renkl.
Since I have been blogging and facilitating life story writing workshops for ‘women of a certain age’ I have been accumulating a growing pile of non-fiction on related topics. I have been chastising myself for not diving into these books but then got some reprieve last week. One of the women in my Wednesday, Women Rowing North: Writing Our Life Stories workshop shared that she only dabbles in non-fiction – reading a page here, and a chapter there. And I realized that this is my approach to non-fiction! These are books with themed chapters, or a handy index at the back so I can pick and choose topics of interest. I am now feeling less threatened by this pile of books but also determined to explore excerpts from of all of them over the next two months, as I take a break from work and writing to focus on reading and research. The books I plan to delve into include:
Successful Aging (Daniel J. Levitin)
The Art of Holding Space (Heather Plett)
Adventures in Opting Out (Cait Flanders)
The Second Half of Life (Angeles Ariens)
Foxfire, Wolfskin and other Stories of Shapeshifting Women (Sharon Blackie)
The Lioness in Winter (Ann Burack-Weiss)
Becoming Wise (Krista Tippett)
Walking in Wonder (John O’Donohue)
Finally, to wrap things up, here are my most anticipated books for 2021 as I expect this pandemic may be around for a while and I am planning ahead!
The Light Through the Leaves (Glendy Vanderah) – if you haven’t read her book, When the Forest Meets the Stars, borrow it from your library – one of my all-time favourites!
The Survivors (Jane Harper) – love this Australian author – the book was released there in September and jumped straight to No. 1 on the Australian bestseller list!
The Night Hawks (Elly Griffiths)
Not Yet Dark (Peter Robinson)
When it comes to books - I can write forever! I hope this list brings some pleasant surprises to your pandemic reading. I expect you may have been reading a lot more these last months too. I’d love to know what books you would recommend!