So H is for....
Hospitals and Reading
As you may have realised from my C blog (Cancer Diagnosis and Cats) I spend a substantial amount of my time in hospitals. I am usually there as an out patient waiting for check ups or treatments or sometimes I am an inpatient and far away from home.
I have always read. Always. I love books. I love the feel, the smell, the joy of opening a new book and sitting down to read. I can zone out everything that is happening around me and immerse myself quite easily in a book.
A couple of years ago my husband noticed that an ereader called Nook was on offer and asked me if I wanted one. At first I refused. I had been one of those readers who was adamant they were never going to get a Kindle or anything similar. However he bought us all one. It is probably the best thing he has ever bought me. I still buy books, but on my Nook now I have 240 titles. We live in the tiniest cottage and there simply is no room for books, so my Nook has allowed me access to so many more books that I probably would never have read. Also mine has a glowlight so in the wee small hours I can read without disturbing anyone else.
Now back to hospitals. My local hospital has a wonderful second hand bookshop run by the League of Friends. They sell paperbacks for 50p and hardbacks for £1. I have bought and donated so many books to his shop over the years and the volunteers that run it are lovely.
I ended up in another hospital miles away from home last March for 3 weeks. I took my trusty Nook with me onto which my hubby had downloaded the whole Agatha Raisin series by M.C Beaton. Thank goodness he did as the series kept me laughing and kept me company during my stay.
This hospital (St Marks) had a library service, but unfortunately I never saw it.
Books are so important in hospitals. TV is often not an option and if there are TV's available they are pay by card and too expensive. The internet may not be available (although a lot of hospitals do now offer free Wi-Fi courtesy of their voluntary service or League of Friends) so what is left but to read?
So if you know someone who is going into hospital, get them a book. Or download them a book onto their ipad or whatever reader they use. They'll thank you for it.
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| St Marks Hospital Harrow where I spent 3 weeks |
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| Agatha Raisin Series by M.C.Beaton Find more information and titles here |
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