Well, here I am back in the hospital. This is getting ridiculous. Another five-day stretch of discomfort, boredom, little sleep, none of the comforts of home except my computer…but who can work in these surroundings?
Thank God for books. I’ve been reading more than usual. Thanks to my Kindle, I have been able to bring a lot of books—e-books—with me to the hospital in one thin, lightweight device.
If ever escapism was called for, now is the time. But as I’ve mentioned before in this space, I’m not a devotee of fiction. Still, as I read the trove of literature in my e-reader, I’m reminded once again that fiction isn’t the only escapist reading.
Not that all nonfic is escapist. I wouldn’t call how-to books, motivational/inspirational books, or certain other genres “escapist.” But that leaves plenty else to read within whose covers—literal or, in the case of e-books, figurative—one can escape one’s reality, whether that reality is the confines of a hospital bed or simply the confines of a humdrum or unsatisfying life.
Three categories spring immediately to mind: biographies (including autobiographies), history, and tell-all books. Although I don’t give a fig for celeb tell-alls and that sort of thing, I’m currently in the middle of reading one of those famous-chef-penned tell-alls, which is as much about food and cooking as about personalities. And that puts me in mind of cookbooks, which some people I know find serviceably escapist as well.
Have I covered all the categories of nonfic that could fairly be classified as escapist? Hardly. But I hope I’ve put some ideas into your head. Escapist reading goes far beyond steamy fiction, sci-fi, mysteries, and other such.
Broaden your horizons. Escape into nonfiction.