bronchitis and comfort reading

Three weeks ago, my husband commented blithely one Sunday that it had been a good winter. So far, no one had really been sick. "Knock on some wood!" I shouted. I don't know what kind of wood he thought he knocked on, but since then:

- a virus has hit three members of the family
- I put my back out picking up a toy bought for one of the sick children
-I started coughing and wheezing on the weekend, and now we welcome: Bronchitis and an asthma 'excerbation' (doctor's term)

to the collection of ills hitting our family since my husband made the memorable statement. I reminded him of it last night, as he went off to the drugstore for the 5th time for medication. "It's all your fault, and you aren't even sick!" I said to him. Wheezy and gaspy, that's me. So I ended up not going to work yesterday - since I could hardly breathe - and went to the doctor's instead. I now have a new inhaler, new antibiotic, and and the Roboxecet for my back so the coughing doesn't put me back into a spasm. My husband was kind enough to buy me my secret reading pleasure, the latest edition of Vogue (which is too heavy for me to carry!) , as he continues to occasionally knock on wood when he thinks about it.

The good news is, that my back is healing enough now that with a cushion, I can kind of get comfortable enough to sit here long enough to post. Hurray! So for all of your lovely thoughts and wishes the past few days, thank you. I'm back at work on Thursday, provided this is the ending of my husband's little hex.

Since I'm not sleeping well and thus slightly brain-fogged (if you've ever had bronchitis, you will know it means endless nights coughing), here are some posts I enjoyed looking at today:

Nymeth's post here is about a very darkly funny cartoon book. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now by Andre Jordan.I put myself into a coughing fit looking at the four illustrations she provides. I must have this book!

Carl has a fabulous post about a gorgeous, one of a kind graphic novel that is a must-buy book, here, which is also all about creativity and the art of inventing one's self. Kabuki, by David Mack. For anyone who loves collage and words and wants to do something, anything, this book is a real treasure.

Mariel has a review about a book, Skellig, here, that I've seen popping up in people's blogs as a must read, which was gotten from *Nick Hornby's* Shakespeare Wrote for Money. Now I have to see if I can find this book. When she wrote: But it is the crumbling run-down garage that Michael discovers Skellig, a strange ailing creature huddled in the dark, living off scraps. Is he a man, an owl? Or something very very different? I was sold.

Staci over at Life in the Thumb,a new to me blog (but i was sold when I saw her blog id picture - Pride and Prejudice photo!) had a review here about graphic novels and manga that has me realizing that a) there is life after Watchmen, and b) maybe I can try manga after all. I've added 17 Comics to my must-buy immediately list - it's been ages since I heard that term 'crater face' and I lived through Duran Duran and Bon Jovi (why does no one do a graphic novel about Led Zeppelin days and say, Simple Minds or Tears For Fears? or REM? I hated Duran Duran and Bon Jovi. I was so uncool then that I was almost....no, I was never cool. Ever. Not even now, with my own book blog.) And, I cannot resist a graphic novel about zombies! So, The Walking Dead went on my list, and also for my son, who is 20 and into anything apopalyptic at the moment. Then her next book is a must for us both also : The Wall, by Peter Sis. I remember what we heard about life behind the wall, well, this is from someone who lived there, then. And for my son, fascinated by anything Soviet (see apopalyptic remark), this is a must. Finally, she reveiws Emma,as a manga, which I've seen also reviewed by Nymeth and I think Rhinoa, so I really must see what is being done with Jane Austen these days.

Stephanie at The Written Word has a review here about a retelling about the fairy godmother and what happened to her in a neat twist. Godmother the Secret Cinderella Story looks sweet and fun and ties in with Carl's Once Upon a Time challenge, if you are still looking for something different to add to your list.

Gosh, look at that. It's all about books I want now!

Emily has a post on comfort books, here that I just love. Her post here on why she can't post for her mystery book club that night is hilarious.

She has inspired me to do my own list of comfort books. My back is starting to ache and I have to go shortly, so I'm just giving the titles today. If you have a list of comfort authors, let me know, or please post about them too and let's see if we all share the same macaroni-and-cheese-I-wanna-be-a-kid-again-and-cuddle-books:

Susan's list of Comfort Books
1. Bridget Jone's Diary - Helen Fielding. Brain candy for when my brain isn't working and I need to laugh out loud many times.
2. Bellwether - Connie Willis. To remind me of mysterious forces, comedy, and that life in the workplace sucks EVERYWHERE.
3. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien. Magical.
4. Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen - depends on which I've read, I'll read the other one. These are bi-annual reads for me.
5. mystery series - I realize that I don't reread a lot of books when I need comfort. I want to read a familiar character in a new book. Any of the mystery series I like will do, and I read a lot of mysteries. Currently Stephanie Plum for sheer zaniness and laugh-out-loudness is my go-to PI, but I find reading mysteries restores some peace in my mind and some balance for me.

That's it for me, time's up with my back at the computer!