I was happily reminded this month of the very enjoyable January/February reading challenge hosted by Carl V. Anderson (@Stainless Steel Droppings) years ago. His “Sci-Fi Experience” was always a highlight of my winter, and expanded my reading horizons exponentially. It was something that recently happened to my husband, Byron, that reminded me of that fun, immersive experience.
A couple of months ago, when Byron was sleepless due to some side effects of his cancer treatments, he would read articles and listen to podcasts about his cancer. It was fine that he was learning as much as he could about it, but I worried that such reading in the middle of the night would add to his insomnia and would raise his anxiety levels.
As an early Christmas present, our daughter sent him an audiobook, the first in a science fiction series she liked called The Expanse. Byron was not much of a science fiction reader, but we had watched the TV series and liked it. Our daughter told him the books were even better, so he started listening to that instead of those podcasts. The first book was called Leviathan Wakes, by James S. A. Corey (actually two men who collaborate on writing this series), and he became completely hooked on the series! He’s just about to finish the sixth book, the seventh book is ready to download, and he is loving his winter “Sci Fi Experience!”
“Quality of Life” is a phrase we are using often in our home right now. Reading and special book-related experiences like this one greatly enhance our quality of life and are so deeply appreciated during a difficult time.