What to Read on Oxy

Recently a reading buddy asked me what I planned to read while recuperating from my October 16 knee surgery. It sent us down the rabbit hole of what would be the best reading in an opioid-induced stupor. Hence, a blog post.

​Children’s books come to mind. My favorite is Dr. Suess’s Sleep Book (1962), the one Suess I still own. Even the first page affirms its efficacy for bed-based recovery: “This book is to be read in bed.” There’s a great recorded version on YouTube that includes all the illustrations. So I’m off to dreamland assisted by a Seuss/oxy cocktail!

Old favorites also appeal—you can read them while medicated because you know them so well. McMurty’s Lonesome Dove (1999) at 856 pages hardcover may be too heavy for my drugged arms to hold up, but Donna Tartt’s The Secret History (2004) is more compact. That book includes a bacchanal, which is appropriate for a reader on oxycodone.

Ed just bought all six books in the Away Goes Sally series begun in 1934 by Elizabeth Coatsworth. These are a great memory from his childhood but new to me, so I’m eager to get into them while Ed dutifully provides ice packs and Schedule A narcotics to keep the pain at or below three.

Finally, I’ll surely revisit two books from childhood that I had to hunt down (and pay a bit of $$ for because they’re both first editions): A Candle in Her Room by Ruth M. Arthur (1972) and Magic Island by Madye Lee Chastain (1964). In both a clever girl faces uncertainty but perseveres to save the day, something I hope to do once I’ve got two good knees and have kicked my oxy habit!

What is your favorite book to read in an altered state?