When books choose us

By Kara Madden

During times of stress or change, I have always turned to books for comfort. They're the one thing that can reliably relax me. So it was no surprise the public library was one of my first stops when I moved back home to Boston from the southwest. I'd had a difficult few weeks of house hunting and trying to get the family settled in a city that felt very different from the one I'd left behind six years before.

My first attempts at grabbing a good read were undermined by trips to the children's room. The kids were too energized by their new environment to allow more than a longing glance at the adult fiction section. On my third visit, circumstances allowed me to slip away.

I quickly scanned the shelves of some of my favorite authors -- Jhumpa Lahiri, Jonathan Franzen –- and grabbed the first unfamiliar titles that crossed my path. I returned home with "The Namesake," "Strong Motion," and "The Red House" (by Sarah Messer -– snagged on my retreat from the L's).

Perhaps it was coincidence, or perhaps it was that the library is located just miles from downtown Boston, but, much to my unexpected delight, all three books took place in Massachusetts.

"Red House" is a nonfiction narrative about the oldest continuously lived-in house in New England. Both "The Namesake" and "Strong Motion" describe, in detail, streets and cities just miles from my home. During a time when I was feeling alone, detached, and lost every time I got in a car, these books helped ground me and provide a sense of place. They reminded me why I decided to return home.

What unexpected comforts have books brought you?

Kara Madden lives just outside of Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, preschool-aged son, and toddler daughter.

Comments

[Cynthia W.]

I find comfort in stories of complex marriages, since what we see of marriage in most of the rest of the media is drastically simplified and/or cartoonish.

[Mary Balfanz]

My son and I recently read "Charlotte's Web" It brought back memories of my late father reading to me as a child.

[Jason Alter]

I love reading books as well. Recently, I made the leap to author and self published a children’s book (www.johnfastramp.com) based on bedtime stories I used to tell my children. I am hoping to introduce other children to these stories. The kids in our local community love the story. Any ideas on how I can introduce moms and dads to this book for their kids?

[Mary Kay Madden]

As a middle-aged English prof, it brings me comfort to know that young marrieds like you still read voraciously and passionately--even with all of your many responsibilities and distractions. What an inspiration!

[Kathleen Kammer Hake]

After I had my son in September, I wondered if I would ever have the time and energy to read again. On our first outing when Brady was 6 weeks old we went to the local bookstore where I bought a copy of If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name by Heather Lende. What a perfect find! Each chapter was an essay about life in Alaska. I could read a chapter and be fully immersed for those precious 15 minutes. And Lende's take on life, child-raising, death, etc really made a difference to me.

[cloudscome]

I love this. Books continually comfort and surprise me too. Finding a new recipe, imagining a lovely view, the melody of well chosen words, a sudden deep insight into the heart. All these are comforting and often surprising.

[Mary Nesper]

This is such a wonderful insight to share. So often, books are seen as a source of escape, as a way to visit new places or shadow other lives. But it's equally as important to think about the ways books can better ground us in the present and remind us to appreciate the narrative we author every day.