Beyond the Book: What Would You Want to Hear?

This week I'm talking about what book I’d choose to read to a sick adult.

Several thoughts come to mind here. First, just how sick is the person? If someone is really ill they might prefer to be left alone. Assuming that the person wanted to be read to, there are a few things to consider.

One important thing, maybe the most important, is to find out what type of book the person likes to read. I don’t think my husband, for example, would be interested in hearing a Harlequin romance. He’d either be asleep or restless by the end of page two. If I were the patient, I wouldn’t want to hear a biography. (I used to like them, but in recent years I’d rather not read one.No idea why.)

Maybe the patient has a specific book that he/she would like you to read. That would be easy, wouldn’t it? 

If not, I’d probably pick one of the books I’ve read and enjoyed. If the patient was a young person I’d pick a very old title that I loved. The Witch of Blackbird Pond was really good, and so was The Sherwood Ring. It would have to be an older title because I haven’t kept up with young adult books since I retired. 

If you like time travel books, I’d suggest the Out of Time series by Deborah Truscott. They’re so interesting, a combination of romance, mystery, history, and of course time travel. 

If the patient wanted to hear some of the latest bestsellers I’d suggest A Day Like Today, All Our Darkest Secrets, Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost, or Good As Dead. I’ve read all of those and enjoyed them. 

There are so many choices you could make in so many different genres. If the patient has no choice, then just pick a book you’ve enjoyed, and they probably will too.