So! What do YOU do when you're sick?

     This past week has not been nice!  That's to put it mildly!  Allergies and sinus problems abound amongst my friends and coworkers.  One is also out with gallbladder surgery (how did that get in there?).  But to have an allergic reaction to the medicine that's supposed to be helping you get well...WELL!
     What did I do while I was sick for a week?  Not what you think.
     You know how we always say, "Oh, if I got sick, I'd be able to read all those good books I've been stocking up on my bookshelves"?  That didn't work for me.  I had two books I'd been reading for the past week...Women Who Run With Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Estes and The Joe Grey Cat Mysteries by Shirley Rousseau Murphy...and I thought I'd read them.  But that didn't really work out.  Headaches don't help your eyesight!
     And waiting on my bookshelf is the Sally Goldenbaum series of Seaside Knitters...Death by Cashmere (book one) and The Wedding Shawl (book five).  I have one through four at home; book five is here in our library.  I've read the first one and am excited about reading the others.  But NO.  The old headache and stomach problems kept me in bed...in the dark...hoping the crud would eventually disappear.
     A little TV, a little food (like yogurt and water, and chicken noodle soup and a vanilla malt brought by a friend) did little to make the misery go away.  I stared at my bookshelves, remembering that lovely thought...oh, if I got sick, I'd be able to read all those good books I've been stocking up on my bookshelves.  Oh, woe is me!  that didn't work out at all.  And the food brought on the worst problems of all, which you don't want to hear about, simply because of the allergic reaction to the medicine.
     That's when I had to go back to square one...a different medicine.  You know, sometimes you just have to feel worse in order to feel better.  And I did.
     Did I want to listen to a good story on audio books?  No.  My brain hurt, just like the rest of me did.  Even the soothing music I usually put on while napping didn't help.  Just silence, please.
     Finally, the good medicine kicked in.  The headache went away, as did the other problems associated with the allergic reaction.  The eyesight cleared up, food was tasting good again, the coughing and sniffling (did I mention those earlier?) began to clear up.  And an interest in looking at book pages began to appear.  The energy level was low and the house was dirty, but all that makes for reading time...in order to better recouperate, I told myself.
     Did I pick up Women Who Run With Wolves?  No.  Or The Joe Grey Cat Mysteries?  No.  Or the Seaside Knitters?  No.
     I treated myself to a new book....  I told my friend to bring me a new book from the library.  She called from the library to say, "Which one?"
     Ann Rivers Siddons' new book Burnt Mountain is about "the way love can shape our lives - and the things we keep from those who know us best."  It takes place not only in Atlanta but in the North Carolina mountains, over a period of many years, and deals with first love, first heartbreak, tragic death, and great expectations.
     Nicholas Sparks' new book The Best of Me also takes place in North Carolina and is a love story about a young couple from opposite sides of the track, who meet 25 years later at the funeral of their "mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance" and realize everything they thought they knew about him, themselves, and the dreams they held dear was not as it seemed.
     Terry Kay's new book is The Greats of Cuttercane.  These are the stories of people born in Cuttercane, Georgia, who earned minor celebrity from the townsfolk's highest praise: "He (she) is something else, ain't he (she)?"  Only Terry Kay can tell a tall tale like all those who try to outdo one another.  Written with humor, these are the stories shared daily in cafes and other gathering spots in rural communities in the South.
     OK, which one did I pick?  All I can tell you is that I'm so glad I'm feeling better!  It's pitiful when you don't even feel like reading a good book.  I can't imagine ever NOT reading.  But if that time should come, I know I'll have a stack of audio books close by.
     As for the three new books mentioned, when you come to the library to select your next book, see which one is missing.  I'll have that one.  You can have the other two.
     And I sure hope you feel like reading the next time you're sick.