Losing myself in a book

Is reading a form of Zen?

Do you find yourself getting caught up in what you are reading, so much so that you have to stop for a moment to remember that it isn’t real?

I do all the time & I love the sense of escapism that a book can give me.

Once when I was reading Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome’, I woke up wondering if the dome was still over us and how the town was coping.

I think I suffer from an overactive imagination soemtimes. I can’t remember the last time I read a Stephen King book but must say I was totally hooked on this one. The TV show was also showing but it was vastly different to the book, as most TV adaptations are. I find myself wondering if it was Tumbarumba ‘under the dome’ how would we manage, who would take charge, would we panic & other similar lines of thought.

I read a wide range of genres and enjoy dystopian, young adult fiction, science fiction, memoirs, thrillers – you name it! Each year I have collated my books read, here on my blog and on Good Reads. It you’re interested you can check out my various pages here: Books

A more recent update of my favourite books is here – My top five favourite books

Book Club

I am in a book club with 10 other women from all age groups, jobs and backgrounds and we meet once a month in each other’s homes. We all read the same book in the month and then discuss it to death over a drink and some yummy after dinner snacks. (We also discuss other things as well and find that it’s a great way to stay in touch.)

We often have very different reactions to the books we read but we all agree on one thing. We can read some books and become the characters, get ourselves embroiled in the plot, forget where we are at times as we get so involved in the reading & get whisked away into the story.

We have all been known to finish a book and have what amounts to withdrawals or a real sense of anti-climax as we no longer can lose ourselves into the story as it’s over.

I know that this will happen time after time but I can never slow myself down from reading. If I’m reading a good book I’m lost for the time it takes to finish it. Sure I can do other things but my mind is always on the book and where it’s going. It’s for this reason that I can’t read two books at once, I have to devote myself to one at a time.

There haven’t been too many books I can’t finish once I start them. If it’s a book club book I always finish it so that I can participate fully in the discussion.

Reading and Zen

Having a Zen attitude means finding mindful awareness of the present moment. This will help you release yourself from stress, anxiety, frustration and anger. Instead, focus on positive thoughts and actions that will help you relax and respond in a more balanced way to your everyday life.

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Reading allows me to relax and reduces my anxiety. I can lose myself and focus solely on the book I’m reading which seems a bit opposite to zen at times but totally works for me. After reading I feel more balanced and able to tackle my real world, except perhaps when a book feels a little too real!

Or have I got it wrong? Am I escaping from life and not being totally present as being ‘zen’ suggests. What do you think?

What sort of a reader are you? Are you able to read more than one book at a time?

I love reading – do you?

Deb x

Updated in March 2019 and I’ve linked to Min’s Zen Tip Tuesday for the first time

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