tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post3407769193427009412..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Writing as Life Saving Meg HarperUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-16133177461463208442011-01-24T14:22:14.461+00:002011-01-24T14:22:14.461+00:00I am so sorry not to have got back here again till...I am so sorry not to have got back here again till now to respond to these helpful comments. I'm so glad The Road Home is enjoyed by others too and it's lovely to hear about other people's experiences. I agree with Penny - I become so absorbed so quickly that almost any reading is calming. Whether that is to do with associations from childhood or in the very nature of the process, I don't know - but it works! I too have found In Memoriam comforting, Anne. I've had to write to letters to bereaved people in the last 24hours and, as ever, I have reached for other people's words, so much better than my own. So often a book or a poem puts things in perspective for me. Sarah, I'm so sorry to hear that things are rough for you too and hope they improve soon. I recommend 'The Road Home.' Lev is so human - no super-hero, just someone who struggles through and survives - so very comforting to have in one's mental background. Thank you, everyone.Meg Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07461125464455502821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-32759804446542851172011-01-20T18:16:40.808+00:002011-01-20T18:16:40.808+00:00I do know that whenever I start to read anything -...I do know that whenever I start to read anything - probably even a sauce bottle label - I feel stress & tension leaving me. Is it the sense of order, of someone else - the writer? the grammar & the layers of meaning & history within the vocabulary? the potential information or story? - taking control that calms? And so many books that do help and inspire, including The Road Home.Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-90347749892013508802011-01-19T21:20:26.011+00:002011-01-19T21:20:26.011+00:00As a child 'White Boots'by Noel Steatfeild...As a child 'White Boots'by Noel Steatfeild was a comfort. Later it was 'Greenbanks' by Dorothy Whipple. Recently it was 'Tea Rose' and 'Winter Rose' by Jennifer Donnelly. They were novels to share with my Mum. I also find listening to murder ballads strangely cheering.Lynda Waterhousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04880769618542325268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-3964594198939374012011-01-19T16:57:20.085+00:002011-01-19T16:57:20.085+00:00Last week I read "You're a Bad Man Mr Gum...Last week I read "You're a Bad Man Mr Gum" to a bunch of ten year olds. It is utterly throw away, and slightly unhinged, but it made us all laugh. Example: "Mr Gum had an old mahogany chest. Mahogany is a type of wood made of mahogany."Andrew Stronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875188855955154864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-41462822017056067342011-01-19T14:21:41.905+00:002011-01-19T14:21:41.905+00:00For children, Jaclyn Moriarty does it well (and wi...For children, Jaclyn Moriarty does it well (and with understated humour) in Feeling Sorry for Celia, and Finding Cassie Crazy. In adult novels, for me, I'd say Dickens isn't bad at making your own life seems easier by comparison, and Dirt Music by Tim Winton for relationship ends and beginnings. But it's whatever fully absorbs you at the time to take you away from the grief. Right now, I'm not in a good place at home, and I'm erring towards new writing to transport me to other realms. The best of luck with your situation too.Sarah Taylor-Fergussonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01507013836947182706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-29679044630029044582011-01-19T12:30:19.953+00:002011-01-19T12:30:19.953+00:00I love Rose Tremain, though haven't read her f...I love Rose Tremain, though haven't read her for years. (So many children's books to read...) Novels can be an absolute solace in difficult times, reassuring you you're not alone in feeling the things you're feeling.karen ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05595346107578248030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-10696725993292608192011-01-19T10:29:13.435+00:002011-01-19T10:29:13.435+00:00I can't think of a particular book that's ...I can't think of a particular book that's helped me through difficult times - there have been so many - but just wanted to echo your endorsement of The Road Home. I've read this twice already, and I don't often re-read books. I also re-read one of her other books recently, Music and Silence, and loved that all over again too. For beatifully written books to take you to another time and place, I'd recommend The Glass Room by Simon Mawr, and The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer. Both of these were presents from my son - so well done Richard! Hope things settle down for you soon, Meg.Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-29230880969568025422011-01-19T06:34:18.353+00:002011-01-19T06:34:18.353+00:00In Memoriam, Pearl, Revolution, various poems (oh,...In Memoriam, Pearl, Revolution, various poems (oh, all but one of those are poems... various shorter poems). Yes, life saving. It is both the recognition of the pain and the possibility of hope that they offer. And the knowledge that someone has gone through terrible times and produced something wonderful as a consequence.AnneRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02886295208140507100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-44080375769848736282011-01-19T06:03:36.705+00:002011-01-19T06:03:36.705+00:00When I was having a really miserable time at a boa...When I was having a really miserable time at a boarding school my English teacher gave me a copy of "Markings" by Dag Hammarskjold. I think she thought I might get some sort of religious comfort out of it. That is not my style at all. <br />What I got from the book was the courage to stop worrying about standing out from the crowd and the inspiration to end up doing something useful.catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.com