One good thing about being in hospital

What could that possibly be, I hear you ask?  I read about 7 books while I was in there and managed to clear some of my backlog.  Most were traditional books, but I did have my Kindle smuggled in.  The only problem with that was that I only had one book that I hadn't read on it, and I've never tried to down load one just using the basic Kindle; I've always done it via my PC in the first instance.

I have now rectified that by downloading several books, and I will have to make sure that I always have something on the go so that I have something on it to read should I ever be incarcerated again.  I do still love the whole look and feel of a real book and somehow there is nothing like opening a book for the first time.

I joined goodreads.com recently with the target of reading 24 books this year, and I am almost half way there already, thanks to Poole General Hospital.  I chose some books to add to a 'to read' list and I managed to find one of them in the hospital charity second-hand book shop, which I came across when I was having a wander around one day.  Haven't had time to start it yet as I am reading some of the Christopher Redmayne Mystery series by the author Edward Marston.  They are set at the Restoration of Charles II and feature Christopher Redmayne, an aspiring architect with a Cavalier background, who ends up working with a Roundhead puritan parish constable, Jonathan Bale to solve crimes.  A regular character is Christopher's brother Henry Redmayne, a rake and dandy who nontheless proves to be of use through his connections at court and his sinecure in the Navy Office.  They are easy to read and have a more straight forward plot than some authors such as Philippa Gregory and her Thomas Chaloner series, but this makes them good light hospital reading that don't tax the little grey cells too much.  Sometimes you just don't need a book that is too complex.

I have to admit that I haven't read this much in years, but it has been interesting to have your world reduced to getting up, taking meds, eating hospital food and reading.  It also gave me time to use meditation a bit more, especially during the periods when I was getting upset about being there, or the noise levels, or the cannular problems.  It was a really useful thing to be able to get some control back when I felt like screaming.  Good thing I had my MP3 player with me to help me focus, or listen to guided meditations.