I like to read. A lot. Whenever I get a chance to have some downtime I love grabbing a book and just getting completely absorbed. I'm not picky about the book really. Most of the time I will choose fiction over non-fiction. I can finish an entire book in a few hours if there are no distractions or interruptions. One of my earliest childhood memories (and really a tradition that my mom started) is about reading. Every Christmas we would get books to read - not just one book but multiple books. Of course being in elementary or high school meant that we were on winter break so of course had a lot of time. I would read all day and all night. I always finished my books before break ended and we had to go back to class.

Right now, on my bedside table I have two Nora Roberts books from one of her newly released trilogy's, The Cuckoo's Calling (a J.K. Rowling book written under a pseudonym) and The Emporor of Paris. In my Kindle app I have a lot, but only two unread right now; one called Clean, all about using food to restore the body's natural power to heal itself, and one called When Pigs Fly, all about how to train the stubborn breeds of dogs. Then there is the collection of books in the spare bedroom, again lots I haven't read. My current favourite is sitting on the coffee table in the living room - called "A Girlfriends Guide to Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen". Again, all about food and how to eat properly to enhance the good and get rid of the bad.

So I have no shortage of books to read, but what I have actually spent my time reading lately is medical journals, blogs, support forums, etc. I know, I've been told by more than a few of you to stay away from this, no good can come of it and I'll only scare myself - but I can't stop! I want to know everything I can. When you get the diagnoses of cancer, your first thought is, okay how can I beat this? The doctors have their plans for you but even they can't guarantee you a complete cure. So you start your research into their plan for you, you learn all about the drugs they want to put you on, you learn medical terms that you never thought you would have to know. Then you keep reading. C'mon Google, I typed in "how can I beat Ovarian Cancer", why do you not have a ten step program for that?! I would love to come across something that would give me an answer like that. So I just keep reading and reading. You read some interesting stories on people's blogs, the support forums, the not quite trustworthy medical sites from overseas. To the point of this post - the reading curse - you read so much and you start to honestly think about trying some of these cuckoo things. Oh that lady in Europe drank 1L of red wine every day and her cancer disappeared? Let's try it. Oh that guy from California went to Tibet and lived in silence with monks for two months and he was cured? Okay. This other woman went to South America and spent multiple hours a day standing in one particular position facing a certain direction and she cured herself of cancer? Sign me up! Yup, the reading curse. I'm a smart cookie, but when you are faced with a disease like this you are almost willing to try anything to get it to disappear. Western medicine is great, but sometimes you just need a couple of inspiring stories from elsewhere to give you a boost, or maybe a big laugh.

So if you have read any good books lately, send the names my way. I like having a stack I can pick and choose from so would love to pick up some more!