Grazelda's Favorite Hits - Part I

For this week's Cancer-tainment, I present to you the first in a series of Top Ten Lists. 
Top Ten Books I Read During Cancer (This is a non-ordered list.)

  Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Well, I'm not quite done with this one yet, but once I got past the suggestively boring/heavy presence of "Kafka" in the title, it turned out to be really engaging.  One of those books where I have no idea what's going to happen next!

   Sleeping Naked is Green by Vanessa Farquharson
This book is not very engaging, the author's attempts at "going green" seem mostly laughable to me, and I haven't even read 1/3 of it, but it made a nice, light, fluffy read-aloud while I was in the ER with Grazelda.

   The Shadow of the Wind by Carols Ruiz Zafon
This book is so scary, there were times I couldn't read it before bed.  Seriously.  Good plot and well-written.  

  Everything Changes: the Inside Scoop on Living With Cancer in Your 20s and 30s by Cairol Rosenthal
Interesting.  Better than your average Inspirational Cancer Book.  Tells lots of stories of young folks who have much more dramatic experiences than me.  Trust me, this is the kind of drama I can happily live without, but some of the essence of experiences are the same.  

  Taffy of Torpedo Junction by Nell Wise Wechter
Though written for a younger crowd, this was an entertaining read, and very good for those nights on steroids when I was awake till 2am.  I did love the Outer Banks accents. 


  Twilight (and the rest of the series) by Stephenie Meyer
Just the right weight for a gal on chemo.  I have to admit to staying up later than I needed to keep reading them.  I also have to admit that there's this guy at my church who looks exactly like I envision Carlisle.  (Hey, Mark!)

  Widdershins by Charles deLint
Good characters, good plot intricate fantasy world, mixed with real world stuff.  Also sometimes a little too scary for 2am.  

  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
This one I made my Dad read aloud to me when I was in random severe pain (Thanks, Dad!).  I also read it early in the morning during hospital stay #2, and then decided it was a little too scary for 6am.  Very good, very entertaining.  Highly recommended.

  The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
Also highly recommended.  Entertaining subject with an honest and nuanced perspective, well written, and for a book about Liberty U, America's Holiest University, it even contains the kind of passage that made me stop the read-aloud when the pastor walked into my hospital room.  

  The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
Now don't take this the wrong way, because this is a fine book on the paragraph/chapter level: The Geography of Bliss made an excellent keep-in-the-bathroom book.  Due to the nature of the author's survey, the chapters read fairly well by themselves and don't require much continuity.  And with some of those nasty chemo side effects, it is important to have good Toilet Literature.  

  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I read this book on my Intermission Week because the church book group was discussing it.  We mostly agreed that it was mediocre.  I maintain that it was worth my time reading it so I got to go to book group.  

[were you counting?  If so, just consider yourself lucky you got a bonus!]

Part II will definitely be Grazelda's Soundtrack (top 10 songs during cancer), but after that I am open to more Top Ten _______ During Cancer List suggestions. 

Medical update: I got a cold this week.  Ugh.  And I'm still getting over it, but I am getting over it.  Cough drops and orange juice.  Not being able to breathe combined with the cold(er) weather inhibits my "Getting Buff Again Without Being Stupid About It" project.  That is to say, I probably only biked 20 miles in the past three days, and went dancing twice (contra and samba), so you probably shouldn't feel too sorry for me.