During and after chemotherapy (and to the present time), I became a voracious reader of novels. Before then, I focused on newspapers, professional magazines, and journal articles for my reading. And that was not pleasant reading; it was part of my academic life. But with all the down time that I had with chemo treatments, I was able to re-discover the joy of reading books. As with meditation, for me, pleasure reading helps block out negative thoughts.
What do I like reading? Unlike a lot of my peers, I’m not big on non-fiction books. To me, there is enough non-fiction in life. I read detective stories, spy novels, and legal thrillers, among other topics.
Also, it has been a lot of fun to discover unknown authors. For $2 to $4 per E-book, I have found many such authors. I am a particular fan of “boxed sets,” whereby the same characters carry over from book to book. With one such character, I have read twelve novels in the series. I appreciate the continuity of those characters.
Ponder this: Yes, the big-name authors often write good stuff and sell a huge number of books. Yet, lesser-known authors also often turn out their own outstanding books. So, pick a $2 book with many four-star reviews and be exposed to a whole different universe of authors. Give the little guy or gal a chance.
After chemo, another big challenge for me was settling into a consistent routine, given that so many physical changes in me had occurred. However, my community remained quite strong and an integral part of my life.