Fiction Reading and the Nashville Library
October 2nd, 2008
fiction, library, nashville, nashville library, reading
I haven't been sleeping lately. It's not uncommon for me to stay up all the way through the night. Over the past two or three weeks, I've seen the sun come up 4 or 5 times. I've tried Ambien, reading, noisemakers, hypnotic sleep podcasts, a glass of wine (or three), everything… Or nearly everything.
In perfect timing, this post on '5 Effective Ways to Improve Your Sleep' appeared in my RSS reader yesterday. The two biggest takeaways for me are: ditch the computer an hour or so before bed and read fiction.
I've been reading nonfiction at night and it stimulates my brain. I start thinking of ideas and I can't sleep because all I do think. The solution is not to stop reading; but to stop reading nonfiction. I go back and forth on the value of reading fiction. On one side it helps creative thinking, exposes you to a different style of writing, and it provides some escape from reality. On the other hand, reading is time consuming. And if I'm using hours in my day to read, then I want to read something productive and applicable like nonfiction.
Months ago, I discovered that Nashville's library system is top notch. Ever since I got my library card, I haven't purchased one book. There is a downside though: the wait. If a book is currently checked out, my request goes into a hold system queue. Like Netflix in a way, though at the library you can check out up to 25 books at a time. Today, and by that I mean early this morning at 3:38am, I started adding fiction books to my library reading list. I was AMAZED at how long some of the waits are on these books. 286 holds?! Insane. And the library doesn't have just one copy, they have 30. I postulate:
- lots of people in Nashville are trying to escape from reality (probably true)
- people in Nashville like fiction better than nonfiction
- people in Nashville can't sleep (like me)
2 Responses
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Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club. Check him out. My personal favorite is Invisible Monsters, but I have also read The Haunted and Choke. Some might say his books are weird, but whatever, so are you :).
we are on the same page (no pun intended). rather than reading, which i should be doing to make up for the lack of stimulation that my brain is craving, I tend to watch movies. they have a tendency to take me far away from reality instantly. there is no thinking, no energy turning pages, just the involuntary action of blinking. which is a battle from keeping them closed from all of the naps i have been taking. TB–keep up the good work…i miss you. I hope everyone reads this and is able to see my affection for you.