Recently my friend Sarah posted about her reading habits in our book club discussion on Goodreads, and it got me thinking about my own reading habits. I looked back over the previous books I read and the book I’m currently reading and I noticed pretty quickly that all of these books are kinda depressing.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the last book I read (“Cutting for Stone”) very much and I’m enjoying “And the Mountains Echoed” a lot, but talk about stories that break your heart. Oi.
I notice that what I read sometimes affects my mental state. I’m a very sensitive person and if I read something depressing, well, it’ll make me depressed and I can’t have that. This happens a lot when I read something sad at night. I read the sad thing, think about the sad thing while I try to fall asleep, dream about the sad thing, and then wake up thinking about how I dreamt about the sad thing. It’s a sick cycle, I know.
So I am currently on the hunt for things that are not depressing. I’m about to finish a book of essays by Chuck Klosterman, whom I love, and I’m saving the Rembert Explains America installments for then, too, but I need something else.
This is where I turn to the lovely, faithful readers of my newborn blog. Any suggestions for things that won’t make me lie awake questioning humanity/my own personal life? I am open to any suggestions, whether they be fun YA books, lighter fiction, nonfiction, short stories, biographies, poetry, or anything else you can think of. My friends and fellow readers have great taste, so I trust you guys.
Thanks in advance for the recommendations! With that, I’m out.
She is out with lanterns... 
After thinking it over I realized that 95% of books I read are depressing in some way.
One book that I read recently was The LIfe of Pii. The book has some dark, graphic moments, but overall I think the book gives a positive message. I would certainly recommend it. Another book I thought of was The Count of Monte Cristo. If you don’t like long books, then this isn’t the book for you. Again, this book has it’s dark moments, but it’s one of the more positive books I can think of.
Hope I could help a little!
Read Bill Bryson’s I’m a Stranger Here Myself. Good read. Dry sense of humor and very funny. Either that or The Gospel According to Biff. Another funny fiction book about Jesus’ childhood friend. Good luck!!
I read A LOT of books, and I do tend to notice that I am affected the same way by the tone and message in the books. Which is probably why I have been reading a lot of “junk fiction” lately. Not to say that it is junk, but I compare it to watching sitcoms on TV at night (when I would so much rather be reading!) It’s not adding to my life in any way except to relieve stress at the end of the day or escape into someone else’s more adventurous life for awhile. And I LOVE it. I may not be enhancing my vocabulary or brain size by reading the classics, but I do enjoy what I read and isn’t that the point?
That being said, I just finished the Matched series by Ally Condie and it was brilliant. I read the Divergent series (only 2 books so far) right before that, so my standards were high… as far as futuristic distopian YA fiction with a strong female lead can go. If you didn’t like the Hunger Games (although really who didn’t?) you won’t like these. But just a suggestion to break you out of whatever you are currently reading.