Weird Book Experiences
Posted by Kathy Lyons, aka Jade Lee in Jade Lee, tags: allergies, Books, energy healing, Jade Lee, juding, kathy lyons, reading, RITA awards, sneezing
The weirdest thing is happening to me. I’ve never experienced it before, and maybe it’s all in my head, but what can I say? It’s bizarre. And I’m going to share it with you.
It begins like this. I’m judging books for the RITA. I try to every year because I enter every year. Plus it forces me to read books I’d never pick up otherwise. I find it good to expand my reading palate, so to speak, and heck, who doesn’t like free books? I also feel like I’m a good judge, have a good handle on writing technique and market understanding, bladda bladda bladda. So, I picked up one of my RITA books to judge this morning.
I didn’t notice the correlation at first. It took me hours to figure this out-and again, maybe it’s all in my head-but I’m having an immune reaction to this book. Seriously. Every time I pick it up, my nose starts getting congested, I start sneezing, and my head begins to pound. Sure, I’ve read books that have made me feel nauseous and yucky. One of the first books on my judging list was (a) rather gross and (b) really boring when it wasn’t gross. But I like this book. Let me repeat this. I like this book. It’s 
well written, interesting, and funny. And it makes me sneeze like you wouldn’t believe. I put it down, do some other things, and bam, I feel better. Nose clears up, headache recedes, and I think, okay, quit playing around, time to go back to reading. (Scores are due WAY too soon!) And then half a page in, I’m sneezing and feeling sick again.
WTF???? Fortunately, I’m into energy healing. I have some experience in dealing with the bizarre. So I did a short session on my reaction to this book. No real insights appeared, but I can now go 3-4 pages before I clog up. That’s progress, but not an answer. And I’m really not sure how I’m going to read and judge a 293 page book in 3 page increments. I can see my email to the coordinator now: Sorry I cannot judge this book. It makes me sneeze.
So here’s my question to you. Have any of you ever had an experience like this? Or other weird reaction to a book. What did you do? Best as I can figure, something in my psyche dislikes what I’m reading, but…wow, it’s certainly not in my conscious thoughts. Or am I just loopy?
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Is it possible that you are allergic to something used in its printing? Have you tried wearing gloves and/or a nose/mouth mask? Would look silly (but who would see it?), but if it would get you through the book quicker, why not try? Just a thought….
BTW, I am allergic to tons of stuff (but only since I turned about 45). My days are often spent trying to figure out what the problem is so that I can change my patterns or purchases (i.e., I’m now allergic to various laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and meds). I also get headaches when my hair is too long (and I have short hair), so it can always be something obscure.
Keep plugging away at it; you’ll figure it out. You’re on the right track since you realize it’s only when you pick up the book. Do you read in the same place every time? Could there be something WHERE you read instead?
Good luck!
That was my first reaction as well, what Laney4 said. Inks, paper, even something on the author’s hands as they packaged everything can affect you like that. Are you allergic to perfume? The scent might be gone but the residue remains. Sometimes, ecologically friendly inks and paper contain things I have reactions to.
I think Laney4 has a good idea. Try the gloves. Try the face mask (you can get them in the band-aid section at Target).
And if that doesn’t work, can we see the coordinator’s response to your email?
I didn’t think about perfumes or something. You’re right. There is no scent attached to the book, but maybe a residual. It’s a small press book too, so that may be a factor. Don’t know if small presses have a seriously different printing process than major presses, but perhaps.
I’ll try your suggestions. At a minimum, I can wear gloves when I read. It’s February after all, and we just got MORE snow! So I’ll just like everyone else who is wearing gloves indoors! Also, through the energy work, I have worked it so I can read a couple chapters at a time now without problem. But I’ve got to finish this book!
Thanks!
I don’t keep “surgical gloves” on hand, but I have Rubbermaid ones. They might be easier to use when turning pages than winter gloves. Good luck!
Actually I think Laney is right. The scrapbook club that I belong to, the lady is allergic to the order forms. She asked for the form to be e-mailed to her and she prints it out on her printer. Her allergy cleared up immediately!
Is the book available in E-book format? That might be a better alternative for you to read it on your computer.
I think Michele has a GRRREEEAAT idea about reading from an E-book instead. Way to go, Michele! I really must get with the “new” century…. Anyway, I hope one is available!
Thanks for sharing about your scrapbook club, Michele. I scrapbook, but I don’t belong to a club per se. I have my card table flattened out and sitting on top of my moving ottoman. I sit in my chair with it in front of me while I catch up on my taped shows each night. I started a few years ago and got up to 1987. Then I had to stop because my mother-in-law’s memory was so poor that I decided to make a scrapbook for her 80th birthday party. She only had 16 pictures (other than framed family photos in her living room), so I got 14 more from her east-coast (NS) sister and 144 more from her west-coast (BC) sister-in-law, made zillions of copies for myself so she had the originals for others to copy too (there’s six “kids”), and finished her scrapbook. Since then, we’ve found out she has Alzheimer’s and has no interest in looking through her memory album. I, however, took ages to insert most of those additional pictures into the correct chronological places in my own albums. Not an easy task when I might have one picture and need to rearrange everything to spread out to an extra two sides of a page. I finally finished and am now up to Dec/90 of my own albums. Jeesh, it sure is a long process, but it is AMAZING to look back to photos from the 1800s, etc. My parents and in-laws were married in the forties, so there’s lots of old pics and newspaper articles, etc. Friends love to pore through the books, especially if THEY are in the pictures (or their cars!!!), so that is my motivation for getting back at it! Anyway … I wish you luck with your own scrapbooking. It truly is appreciated, so keep up the good work!
Wow Laney! I am so impressed! You go girl! I am sure your mom would be so proud of you anyway. Just remember the good times with her and treasure those memories. Photo albums are absolutely wonderful gems. They are conversation pieces, sometimes family builders, can mend an argument, and also a teaching tool to young children. It can get overwhelming putting them together but oh, so worth it in the end!
That should have been mother-in-law. I have had problems with my mom lately who has pretty bad dementia. She takes Namenda for it but she still gets pretty confused at times. I am so sorry to hear that your mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s. I had an aunt who had it. Many blessings and prayers to you and your in-laws.
My thoughts ran along like the others as soon as you said about sneezing. It could be something on the book. Hope you get a system down so you can finish it.
Hey Kathy, I second and third what Nightmusic (love the name by the Phantom?) and Laney4 were saying. Maybe you are allergic to something. Um, would you be able to put it aside and get back to it. If the book you are reading now is not the last one in all the ones you have to read, maybe you could come back to it. I would defo try the gloves…are you able to read the book outside? If you can, maybe the outside air will help to disperse the scent of the chemicals.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Well, I managed to finish the book. I’m giving it an 8 btw. It was adorable. And I was able to read it keeping everything you all said in mind. Plus, I was very centered energy wise, so that helped as well. Thank you for all your suggestions! And now…I have 2 more RITA books to read…
Good for you! I knew you could do it. Enjoy the other two books. After reading these two, do you have any that you want to read for fun? Which ones?
Peace and love,
Paula R.
YAY! I’m so glad you were able to finish and that it was actually worth the trials to get to the end
I did the Golden Heart last year and did not do it this year because, though my scores were good, I have no idea what they were for or why. When you score a RITA, does the author get their scores/comments/criticisms back so they know? Just curious.
And Paula, thank you and yes, Phantom…I can’t seem to get enough of that story.