I would love to know any book suggestions for books that are enjoyable - probably fictional - but not necessarily - but basically something that would be relatively easy to focus on - I would consider Children's books as well as adult ones, as I am looking for something to engage me and my younger parts - to spend some relaxation time - I have been doing dot-to-dots - and finding that calming, but I'd like to know any book recommendations anyone has - thank you in advance.
Hope :)
I don't have a book recommendation but sometimes I do jigsaw puzzles on my android phone and tablet, the apps are free. There are also free coloring apps I've used, right now I have a kaleidoscopic making coloring app that's fun. Bright colors.
Hi Hope,
Have you tried Enid blyton the famous five books?
I often turn to them .
Hi, Hope.
Both my husband and I love all of the PG Woodhouse, Jeeves and Wooster books. They are funny, but not cruel, and everything always turns out right in the end.
Hugs to you, Hope.
Libby
Hello Hope,
I love P.G. Wodehouse especially the Jeeves/Wooster series too.
Other suggestions: R.L. Stevenson's " A Child's Garden of Verses"; also any selection of limericks; Roald Dahl "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
Depending on how young the young parts of you are, some Dr. Seuss like "Green Eggs and Ham" or for something completely different the Beatrix Potter books. No, not Beatrix Potter!! Because now I think I remember you have an aversion to animals being dressed up and acting as humans.
I read alot especially children's books so I'll let you know if anything else occurs to me. Though I don't know if all those books I read would be calming. The main character(s) usually go through some difficult or sad experiences before they reach the end. The good thing for me is I know what happens at the end so any sad or difficult experiences are tolerable or I can even skip those few pages if too much.
Hi Three Roses - I would never have thought of doing jig-saws using an app - but it sounds really good and I will look out for some and try it out - thank you. I saw one of your beautiful kaleidoscopic creations - it was black and green (I think) and it was lovely - you had it next to your name for a while - I thought that it was lovely and wonderful bright colours.
Hi Blackbird33 - Thank you so much for your reply - and welcome to this forum - I hope you'll find it a supportive place - I think your suggestion of the Enid Blyton Famous 5 is great - I do like Enid Blyton - but stuck with 'Folk of the Faraway Tree' as my favourite one - and also 'The Naugtiest Girl in the School' series that she did - infact remembering those, I might re-read them, to see if my younger parts would appreciate them - as they were great favourites of mine. I will try the Famous Five ones too - thank you.
Hi Libby - Great to see you - and thank you for your reply - I have never read any PG Woodhouse - but I've heard of Jeeves and Wooster - and I will have a look - thank you! Hugs to you too, Libby. :hug:
Hi Blueberry - Great to hear an endorsement for PG Woodhouse from you too - I will definitely be having a look - the great thing with the library is I can dip into them and mix and match - without expense, and that's great. I also appreciate the other suggestions you've made - and thank you for remembering about my dislike of the animals dressed up as people - I do still find them very disturbing. Actually - I suspect I'd really like the books you mentioned where the main characters go through some difficult or sad experiences - because those were some of the childhood books I used to love - for example - 'The Secret Garden' and another one where the story was about a young girl held in an attic and visited by a dignitary from India who brought her lovely foods and spices and made her life happy by doing so - can't remember who wrote that or what the title was, but I loved it. I really related to her dark and isolated experience in that attic, but loved the warmth and love that the man brought to her - by visiting her and treating her in a lovely way - without asking anything of her - that is a lovely story.
I really appreciate all your suggestions, and I hope to go to the library on Friday - and choose some books for the next few weeks - to take me into Christmas - and enable my younger parts and me to enjoy some calm and explore things together.
Thank you.
Hope :)
Hope67 - The Little Princess?
Hi hope
Teenage fantasy
Harry Potter
Ready player one
Hunger games ( may have triggers, violence against kids, my h couldn't read it ) also the main characters are traumatised a lot, violence, murder and abandonment.
The hobbit
Artemis, Andy wier
Maze runner (triggers traumatised kids )
Twilight series (vampires violence)
Anyway that's a few to give you some ideas.
Hi Kalmer - yes, that's the name of the book 'The Little Princess' - such a lovely book - I really enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know the title. :) I might re-visit it. :)
Hi Wattlebird - thank you so much for listing those teenage fantasy books - I have seen the films of the Hunger Games - and also Maze Runner too - but I avoid Harry Potter and especially The Hobbit - for some reason it reminds me of animals wearing clothes and doing human things - and for some reason I find that quite difficult to countenance. I avoid it. I wrote about that in another thread somewhere, and I must re-visit it - as people did write some interesting things at the time, and I've forgotten what they said about it. Maybe reading it again after a gap of time will be helpful to me, and I might gain some understanding of why I feel that way.
Wattlebird - I really appreciate your list - interesting about 'Twilight Series' - I like the story 'Dracula' and used to read that as a teenager - not tried the Twilight series though. I'll have a look. Appreciate all your suggestions - thank you. :)
Hope :)
I love The Secret Garden too. I re-read it ever so often. The story of the little girl in the attic is probably The Little Princess by the same author as The Secret Garden. Another author of children's books I like is Rumer Godden. I love Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, the Little House books that is. Especially when I'm feeling down they tend to make me feel better.
At this time of year I also like to re-read Dicken's A Christmas Carol. His other books don't appeal to me though.
It's great that you have a library where you can browse and you don't have to spend much if any money.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri is another one I still love to re-read.
Hi Blueberry - Yes, the Secret Garden is such a wonderful book, isn't it? I agree that the other one is 'A Little Princess' - I shall look out for Rumer Godden. I've never read the "Little House on the Prairie" books, but I have seen them on TV - and they are always very calming and make me feel better too. I have never read any Dicken's - but seen some of the Dicken's films - and especially "A Christmas Carol". Ah yes, and "Heidi" - again I've watched "Heidi" on TV when I was a child - although for some reason I used to think that my M wanted me to be 'like Heidi' (who seemed like a 'perfect little girl' somehow - I think I need to read the book and see what it's like to get back more memories of that. I am looking forward to going to the library tomorrow and browsing - and I hope to bring a few books home - so I can dip into them - as true to form, I probably won't be able to read them 'one-by-one' - although I will try to do so at first.
Thanks again for all the great suggestions - I am spoiled for choice now.
Hope :)
I really enjoy the Poldark novels by Winston Graham. It takes a while to get into but it's got such a courageous, underdog heroine in it who is hard not to love and some good storylines. :)
Demelza! ♥️ I've watched all the seasons of Poldark on PBS but have thought of getting the books. I do love to read.
Hi Blues-Cruise & Three Roses - Only just seen your replies - and thank you! Great suggestions. I need to come back here to update on my reading experience - as I have read some things over Christmas. I'm a bit too tired right now, but I'll hope to come back later in the week, when I have more energy - and will write about it - as I appreciated all the suggestions, and took some of them on board - as my library stocked some of the books.
Hope :)
Quote from: Three Roses on December 13, 2018, 12:22:27 AM
Demelza! ♥️ I've watched all the seasons of Poldark on PBS but have thought of getting the books. I do love to read.
I love Poldark, it's proper Sunday evening 'put your feet up in front of the TV' watching for me. ;D
Quote from: Hope67 on January 01, 2019, 07:09:33 PM
Hi Blues-Cruise & Three Roses - Only just seen your replies - and thank you! Great suggestions. I need to come back here to update on my reading experience - as I have read some things over Christmas. I'm a bit too tired right now, but I'll hope to come back later in the week, when I have more energy - and will write about it - as I appreciated all the suggestions, and took some of them on board - as my library stocked some of the books.
Hope :)
So nice to hear you did some reading over Christmas, Hope. :) It is really therapeutic. There's a really good website I like using called 'Goodreads' where you can list books you've read and then it recommends you other things you might enjoy. I really like it because you can have a browse and then add books you're interested in to your 'To Read' list, so you don't forget all the things that have caught your eye. :thumbup:
Hi!
As an English major and a lover of books of all kinds, I have a few recommendations. If you like poetry, the poetry collection "How Lovely the Ruins" is an amazing book for trauma and difficult times. It's my absolute favorite. "The Princess Saves herself in this one" is also great feminist poetry, if you're into that.
The Percy Jackson series is fun especially for when I want to build a blanket fort and hide out for days. (I've done that, it's great). A Dog's Purpose is one of my favorite books to cry over because it's about a good dog and his human and that always has me gushing tears. I also like the Clockwork Series by Cassandra Clare more so than I do her Mortal Instruments series, and found that I really enjoyed that. I've been meaning to revisit the Harry Potter series as well. These books satisfy my inner child's need for fantasy and adventure, and tend to be the safer stories that I've had on my shelves for eons and eons. These are definitely my build-a-blanket-fort stories.
Of course, there's also cheesy romantic comedies, and my brand happens to be LGBTQ romance, so I have to recommend the Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Sometime after Midnight by L Phillips, Running with Lions by Julian Winters, Riding with Brighton by Haven Francis, Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin, and Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg. (You can probably tell that this is one of my favorite genres to unwind to). I personally find the formula and pattern of romance novels soothing. These tend to be more my taste than my inner child's, though, so I tend to go for these when not in flashback.
Hi again Blues_cruise - I will have a look out for the GoodReads website you mentioned. Thank you. :)
Hi DandelionCrown - Thanks very much for your reply - and suggestions. I will try to get hold of the "How Lovely the Ruins" book you mentioned - as I do like poetry. I think I saw the film called 'A Dog's Purpose' and that did make me cry - so I can imagine the book would be similar. Thank you so much for all your suggestions, and I am very happy to have so many recommendations to look at - I have got some time this weekend, and I am going to try to chill out and relax and read some calming and enjoyable things. That's my plan.
Hope :)
Tks for this thread Hope as I just realized I have a pile of books relating to trauma waiting to be read and nothing that is relaxing or calming. I used to read all the time at night before going to sleep and I guess I stopped because trauma books are not exactly relaxing, well that plus having an iPad.
Anyhow, I am going to comb through this thread and see if I can come up with a few titles that will help me get back into reading before bed, I do miss it. :zzz:
Tks again :thumbup:
I just remembered when I was a young teen I loved The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew - might be something for your inner teen :Idunno:.
I also used to love the books by veterinarian James Harriot (All Things Bright & Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small).
Hi Kizzie,
Only just read your replies here - and thank you. I used to enjoy watching the James Herriot films as a child. I haven't heard of the Hardy Boys, although the name 'Nancy Drew' does sound familiar. I will have a look - thank you.
Hope :)
For me I love A wrinkle in time, Ella enchanted, I love Mary Alice Monroe Beach house series. Those tend to be my go to books when I am in a mood. Especially Mary Alice Monroe Beach house series, literally as you read it you feel like you are sitting on a porch in front of the ocean, the pace of life just slows down and you take it all in. It has romance, healing, and my favorite wildlife conservation somehow embedded in it. It is AWESOME :D sorry im obsessed, there are some parts of series where main character describes past trauma but it doesn't focus on it. It focuses on moving forward which inspires me.
Also flow books are amazing like: A book that takes its time or the big book of less. Has things for creative mindfulness and activities.
Or Tiger's curse is a good YA novel, takes you through Indian mythology and just fantasy :D loooove it. Just for random fantasy novel :D I hope I helped
For some reason this one isn't as famous, but it was one of J.K. Rowling's books. Simple and easy, Secret-Gardeny.
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
Also,
The Wednesday Wars
Gary D. Schmidt
(love, love, love the audiobook edition)
Turtle in Paradise
Jennifer L. Holm
Harry Potter, for me. Also the Percy Jackson books, the Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper, and the Box of Delights dramatisation.
Hi EcoWarrior & Scout & Snowdrop,
So sorry for the late replies, I've only just re-visited this thread, and seen your replies. So many great suggestions here, I wish there was more time to read! I enjoyed reading your descriptions of the books, made me feel quite calm, which is a nice feeling.
Hope :)
I've really been enjoying novels by Jenny Colgan. Easy to read, feel-good stuff. Many of them are series, too, which is good.
There is a book series by James Herriot, who was a veterinarian in Scotland, and many of his stories are from his real life experiences. They are overall light, humorous stories though some of them are sad or deal with a more serious theme. Overall though, his stories will lighten my mood. And each chapter is kind of like it's own short story so it's easier to put the book down and come back to it later.
Ohhh this is another great thread :-)
Reading has always been a go-to soother and I had forgotten some of my favorites like Laura Ingalls books (and the one she or her daughter wrote years later about her living to see cars and the telephone come to be), James Herriots books and one author that I loved and was wonderful escapism for me - Gerald Durrell. He wrote a ton of books about his adventures going and finding animals for zoos (which I wasn't too keen on) but then his movement toward a focus on conservation of species - and I found him funny. Read most of them as a kid then forgot... hmmm where to start now??
Always the cheezy romances when I'm super stressed and need total escapism.
All these ideas put a smile on my face and now I'm gonna go pick up my kobo and see what I can find!!