Finding Comfort In Books

A Long Week And Bookish Refuge

Photo by Jackson Films on Unsplash

Hello my lovely readers!!!

Welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet where I talk all things books. How are you?

This week has been crazy for me. Lots of running around and getting things done, topped with anxiety and uncertainty in case I don’t get them done correctly. I've been feeling completely drained and very hopeless. I was so exhausted, I didn’t have the energy to read or even check my bookstagram. 

But on Tuesday, I went to the doctor for a check-up. He had other patients, so I had to wait a while before I could go in. As I waited, I looked around the room full of bookshelves loaded with books. The books were very old looking and at first I assumed they were medical books. But still, just out of curiosity I got up to check. And to my delight I saw they were mostly fiction. 

I spotted classics like Nana by Émile Zola, Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway, N or M and The clocks by Agatha Christie. It put a smile on my face and I remembered the doctor's eldest brother who used to lend me books to read when I was young. He wasn't in any way related to me, he was just a neighbour who loved books and since his son had no interest in books, he encouraged me to read. He passed away a couple years ago but as I stood there in front of a shelf, I remembered all the people who have in one way or another encouraged me to read books. In my life, books have always been my bridge to other people.

After getting home that night, I opened Instagram. I wanted to just post a reel and be done for the day. But when I saw everyone's posts, all the photos of the books, I instantly felt so much better, I felt so comforted. I realised I was doing it all wrong. I don’t save reading for when I’m feeling better, I read to feel better. Especially when I’m feeling low. That’s how it has been all my life.

So that night I sat down and read a few pages of Bleak House. And it helped divert my attention and made me feel less stressed. Since then, I continued reading, whenever I felt too stressed out, I read a few pages. Doing that helped me hold myself together, and I managed to finish Bleak House. And since I don’t want to start The Idiot before March and wanted to read something comforting, I decided to re-read Mansfield Park. It’s my least favourite Austem novel but I’ve long been wanting to re-read it. And re-reading books, even when they’re not my favourite books, have a different type of comforting air about it.

What about you? How was your week? Don’t forget to let me know.

For more of my bookish ramblings, you can also find me on Instagram

Also, if you’d like me to write for you, you can contact me at joyiewrites@gmail.com

That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.

Until then,

Joyie 🌻