Books And More Books

Being in hospital for a couple of weeks and then since being home, having to take time out to recover, I've had plenty of opportunity to catch up on my reading. I'm one of those people who cannot walk past a book shop without popping in and coming out with an empty purse and a pile of books. I've always done it. Then I'll pop on my Kindle from time to time to search out a best seller or latest book release and end up downloading a few too many books than I'd planned for. Hence, I'm never up to date with my reading and doubt I ever will be, because I buy books faster than I can ever read them. Here are a few of the books I've been reading from my book shelf over this last week or two. 

I'll start with Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History'. This was a birthday gift, which I was really pleased with, as I loved her book, 'The Goldfinch', and I always had the intention of reading more of her books and just hadn't found the time to get round to it. I couldn't put this book down. Set in New England, it tells the story of a closely knit group of classics students. It is narrated through the eyes of one of the students, who reflects on a murder within the group and explores the the circumstances and the lasting effects. It has been proclaimed as a 'whydunit' rather than a 'whodunit' detective mystery and for me I'd say it's a must read.

'The Loving Husband' by Christobel Kent - I picked this one up recently, as it's a 'Sunday Times Bestseller' and a recommended 'Richard and Judy Book Club' read. It's a good one for those of you who like the current trend for psychological husband and wife thrillers like 'Apple Tree Yard' and 'Gone Girl'. It's set in the remote Fens, where Fran Hall and her husband Nathan, together with their young family are making a fresh start. Fran wakes one night to make a devastating discovery... I'll leave you to read and find out the rest if this type of book takes your fancy. 

'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak - well, what can I say? This one has been on my 'to read' shelf for quite a while. I think at the time I bought it, I'd had a spate of reading books set in the First and Second World Wars (this one is set during the Second World War in Nazi Germany) and I decided to leave it for a while, as I like to vary my reading genres from book to book as I read. I think I'd been waiting for what felt like the right time to read it. Was it worth the wait then? The answer to that is a big 'yes' and it's an absolute 'must read'. Unusual in that the story is narrated by 'death', it follows the life of a young girl Liesel as she is exposed to the horrors of Nazi Germany. Buy and read it now. I don't know why it took me so long! 

'The Seige' by Helen Dunmore. I picked this book up in a National Trust second hand book shop - these book shops are well worth a browse for a bargain. I bought it purely because I'd already enjoyed reading a few of this author's other books, so thought it would be worth a look. Again, it's been sat on my bookshelf for some time, but somehow I decided to pick it up and give it a try. And I'm pleased I did. Another historical novel, set during the 'Seige of Leningrad' in the Second World War and following the lives of four ordinary people, united by love and fighting for survival. This book had me researching further into the history of St Petersburg - it actually left me wanting to visit this city with its powerful history and architecture that's brought to life in the book. Maybe one day sometime...

'A Noble Radience' by Donna Leon. Donna Leon is an American crime writer and most of her books are set in or around Venice and that's why I enjoy this author's books so much and especially her series of books about Commissario Brunetti. Brunetti is a police detective solving crime mysteries in Venice. Venice is one of my favourite places and I enjoy reading a book that is set in a foreign place I've visited. I'm slowly working my way through the whole series of the Brunetti novels and enjoy the characters and families in the books and the vivid descriptions of Venice and Venetian life. I always have the next few books in the series on my book shelf ready to pick up just in case I fancy a little wander around Venice. 

'Body Surfing' by Anita Shreve. I've read quite a few of this author's books - again I picked this one up in a National Trust second hand book shop for a bargain knowing I usually enjoy this author's work. I enjoy Shreve's easy style in how she unfolds a story. Her stories are usually about emotional and complex family relationships. In 'Body Surfing' she weaves her story around the character Sydney, a young widow, and how she is drawn into another family's destructive web of old tensions and divisions. It's well worth a read. 

What have you all been reading recently? Can you recommend any more good books? I'm always on the lookout for a good book and especially at the moment as I'm still slowly recovering from the pneumonia and flu infections I had recently, so need to pace myself and rest often. Plenty of excuse for snuggling down with a good book!

Fortunately I'm making progress now and my latest clinic this week was very encouraging. I'm back again in a months time, where they will reassess my lung function properly, as it too early days yet to do that until the inflammation clears more. It looks like I'm going to be needing some surgery in the near future too as a preventative measure to help my lungs. This is following test results after my lungs were found to be scarred after the acute rejection episodes I had back in autumn. But more on that later when I know more about it all myself. It's been a tough seven months with one thing or another and there's a few hurdles yet, but I do feel very positive that things are improving and are going to get better.

Onwards and upwards now and here's to more books...

New Challenges - Writing a Book!

I'm nearly 23 months post transplant, I can't believe where the time has gone, but that's because having my transplant has changed my life so much and allowed me to do so many things and be so busy. It's given me a chance to try new things and have new experiences as well as do things I used to do, but thought I wouldn't ever do again.

Article in Emphasis magazine

One thing I've always dreamed of doing is writing a book. I've always wanted to do this ever since I was little, as I love reading books and I love writing. I'm one of those people who cannot physically walk past a book shop without having to go inside and come out with a handful of books. I've more books loaded on my kindle than I can manage to read and I love real books too, so have bookshelves full of books everywhere around the house. There is something special about holding a book in your hand and the thought of holding a book I've written myself is a dream I want to make come true. 

I decided after my transplant to get myself writing more and I enrolled on a writing course. My course started with writing articles for magazines and for a while I worked on writing articles about my Pulmonary Hypertension and Organ Donation and Transplant to help raise awareness. It gave a purpose to my writing and they are subjects I'm passionate about. I was delighted when I had some success in getting published. It gave me some personal achievement, as after having been ill for so long and being forced to give up my career I'd lost some sense of purpose. It gave me some sense of satisfaction to see my own writing in print and published in magazines. I wrote articles for varied magazines with different audiences. 

Article in Cumbria magazine

After acceptance of terminal illness and facing an uncertain future and then being given your life back, part of recovery through all these stages is finding some purpose in life once again. You suddenly have your future back when you thought you might not have one.Then you have to find what you want to do with that new future. It's similar in those stages of being chronically ill, part of coping is finding new interests for yourself when your unable to do things you could do before. Some people strive to get back to work, to a job or career they've always done or they're forced to start anew and find fresh challenges. 

I used to be a primary teacher and decided that although I loved my career, I'd left it behind years ago and it's time for something diffferent. I decided to write instead. After completing those first few assignments of my writing course, my future assignments were taking me in new directions to write about a variety of topics and although I still want to do this, I couldn't get myself motivated about them, because I still had an overwhelming need to keep writing about my transplant and write a book.

Article in Woman's Weekly Magazine

In the end I decided to concentrate on writing my first book and the saying goes, 'write about what you know'. I started writing about being diagnosed with PH and then being told I need a transplant, then all the waiting and finally getting my transplant. All those thoughts and feelings that I went through. There I had suddenly arrived at that book I've always wanted to write - it turned out to be a memoir. All those years of saying one day I'll write a book, I didn't ever dream it would be about these topics! 

It's taken a year so far and I'm delighted I finished my first manuscript recently. It still needs work - some editing and redrafting and then there's work to be done on book design and working my way through self-publishing. I'm therefore still a short while off to completion, but it's given me a new purpose. It's a huge learning curve as I tackle each step, but that's what is wonderful about having a transplant - the new opportunities and choices that you suddenly have with your new life. That chance to do anything you wish and take on new challenges. 

When I was sick, I still used to look for challenges and opportunities - things I still could do - that's when I started writing and I set up my blog. It gave me a purpose - a chance to raise awareness about subjects I was interested in and a chance to use my photographs - photography was another interest I found while feeling poorly. The two went hand in hand and now one thing has led to another...

Because of my transplant, I'm getting closer to my dream. For me, it's been part of recovery - all that writing has been truly therapeutic. For my family, I hope it will be a momento and a catalogue of events that shows how we coped and overcame a very challenging time. In the process I hope it may help others understand some of the issues patients with long term and chronic disease face and what they have to go through, as well as raise more awareness of living with a rare disease like PH. I hope it demonstrates the huge hope and benefits that having a transplant can bring and helps raise awareness of the shortage of organ donors, as I had to wait two years for my transplant. Ultimately I just hope some good can come out of it. 

I was lucky to do a couple of press interviews recently - one paper wanted to do something on my book and although I'm not quite done, it's always great publicity for PH and organ donation, and so was a great opportunity. Another paper wanted to publicise the fact transplant operations are down in number for the first time in years compared to previous years, so again promoting more awareness for organ donation and transplant. Of course with my transplant story comes my PH story, so inevitably more awareness for that too. Here are the links below to the two press articles.

The Comet news article

The Hertfordshire Mercury

I'll keep you posted on my book writing and progress, but in the meantime what has everyone else done to help yourself through illness or recovery or just for a new challenge or fresh start? I'd love to know!