Yesterday was Read a Book Day so technically I am late, but that’s living with chronic illnesses for you they don’t make planning easy!

Rather than talk about a self help book or a book about one of my conditions I wanted to share with you some books/authors that I absolutely love to read to escape my days of chronic symptoms.

Reading with chronic illness is difficult at the best of times especially when you experience fatigue; the book can be difficult to hold, the page can be hard to focus on, the fatigued invaded area which is normally your brain cannot take in a word that is being read, but on your good days reading can be magical. The key is to remember that reading isn’t a race and it doesn’t matter how long it takes. There have been times when it has taken me months to get through one book, but it was always worth it in the end.

I have mentioned in a previous blog post that there are ways of interacting with a book even if you can’t read it yourself such as getting someone to read to you, or listening to an audio book. You can also access books from your local library under the Quick Reads initiative which are much shorter than normal novels. My message being that nobody should ever have to miss out on the beauty of a good book.

My favourite books/authors:

Escape – C.L. Taylor

If you love psychological thrillers then C.L. Taylor is the author for you. Every book I have ever read by this author has been amazing so it was hard to pick a particular book. Escape is a psychological thriller with a difference. With never-ending twists and turns the reader finds themselves questioning characters up until the final chapter of the book. The family dynamics within the story were interesting to explore through the generations and I particularly loved the nods to the Irish culture – this is a definite must read.

I would also strongly recommend Sleep if you like a whodunit vibe. My next book on the list to read is Fear which is ready for me to start when I have the energy.

The Little Shop of Happy Ever After – Jenny Colgan

Another of my favourite authors is Jenny Colgan. Jenny’s books are the epitome of escapism which inspire hope for the future and as a chronic illness spoonie that is just what I need. Again it is incredibly difficult to pick a book as they are all so good, but I found the Little Shop of Happy Ever After particularly resonates with me. This speaks to anybody who would love to start again specifically anybody who would like to start again who truly understands the beauty of books. Another highlight in this book is the Scottish highlands setting and the people who live there.

I would also strongly recommend the Little Beach Street Bakery series which includes a summer and Christmas follow-up.

New Beginnings at Rose Cottage – Erin Green

New Beginnings at Rose Cottage is one of my all time favourite books. Firstly because it is set in beautiful Devon, secondly because I find the characters so relatable and thirdly because it offers hope for the future. Being chronically ill I often feel trapped by my situation and wish I could start again and this book inspires me to believe this is possible – in my head at least and to me that is what a great book should do. It should allow you to escape in your head even for a short while and allow to think of something else other than being ill.

So here you have it – it may be a little late, but these are favourite books and authors for Read a Book Day. What are yours?