Reading a real book, so, so much more than the author intended.
When did you last sit down away from the world to read a book? When life becomes too much, try this to escape: Choose a well-loved book. If you still have your childhood books knocking around, so much the better. Find a space where you will be alone. In my house, this generally means accompanied by a dog or three. They don't count. Close your eyes and touch your book. Feel the slightly fuzzy texture of the paper, the sharp or rounded edges, the creases on the spine. Remember all the times you have read it, the comfort it has provided. Now lift the book up to your face and smell the paper which will have its own distinctive scent. What memories does it bring back? Of whiling away time in bookshops, finishing essays in libraries? And now, open your eyes and read. Touch the pages, feel the words taking root within you again. Reconnect with the child you were. Books made you. Knocks a Kindle into a cocked hat doesn't it?