What I'm reading ...

I have started Time to Depart by Lindsey Davis.

I have read and enjoyed a few of the Falco books. So I was glad when I heard that Lindsey Davis was going to be on Bookclub. I had planned to attend the recording, but, unfortunately, that didn't work out. But I look forward to hearing the programme next month.

Sunbathing in the Rain - by Gwyneth Lewis

I would say that this book "delivered". It gave me some insight into what depression is all about and how a depressed person sees the world. And it did that in a reasonably light- hearted way.

There were a lot of insights, some of which were disconcerting. For example:

One of the classic symptoms of depression is sleep disruption, which usually means waking up early or being unable to sleep when you're exhausted.

I know exactly how that feels.

I thought that this was insightful:

Depression happens to people who won't listen to the messages that their subconscious is sending them.

At times, the author's poetic background is very apparent:

When I was young I remember seeing a film about Helen Keller, who was born blind, deaf and dumb, and her teacher who brought her out into the world. At the start, the deeply introverted child didn't want to leave her familiar isolation and learn sign language. But her teacher forced her, pressing the words into her palm like money she didn't know how to spend.

Beautiful!

Another great observation:

The British love of pets is, therefore, highly misleading. It's a spiritual matter in heavy disguise. What people in the park are really doing, as they throw a ball for Tyson or Slipper, is taking their own souls for a run.

A great metaphor about surfing:

We were each given a surf-board, like a personal headstone to carry down the beach.

I often wondered what meditation was all about:

Prophylactic doses of boredom and depression together in the form of meditation are very helpful in building up a resistance to them in your emotional immune system.

I think this book will stay with me for a while ...

I though that the author sounded familiar. I remembered a series of talks on the radio last year and wondered if she were the same person. A quick exchange of emails confirmed that she is. Isn't the Internet wonderful.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Sunbathing in the Rain by Gwyneth Lewis.

The subtitle of this book is "A Cheerful Book About Depression", which I have to admit seems an unlikely prospect. However, this is a topic that interests me, as where ever I go I come across people who have suffered from depression. I stumbled across a recommendation for this book in a magazine article. So, I thought I'd give it a go ...