The Book Doctors Are In
To Read In Case Of: Heartbreak
We’re asking our favorite authors and readers to make recommendations for those moments when a good book is the only cure. For the month of Valentine’s Day, we’re asking: what’s the best book (or books) to read in times of heartbreak?
Rachel Fershleiser is the coeditor of Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak. She has written for The Village Voice, New York Press, Print, Los Angeles Times, and National Post, and works at Housing Works Bookstore (right around the corner).
“It’s funny you asked me this, because I actually did go through a phase a few years ago when I had to ask around for something, anything, that was safe to read. Once I was forcibly attuned to it, I noticed that almost all literature involves love gone wrong. Or even love gone right—both were equally intolerable.
So, instead, I recommend three books that instruct you to stop reading and do something distracting, preferably something active, creative, gratifying, and completely self-involved.
Casserole Crazy by Emily Farris
Why would you drown your sorrows in a mere pint of Rocky Road when you could bake yourself some Eight-Cheese Macaroni with Tater Tot Topping? Obviously, you wouldn’t. This hip but heartfelt cookbook has the added benefits of homey anecdotes, clever writing, and the opportunity to pretend the “one large white onion” you’re chopping is his head, and it’s only the odor causing your tears.
Little Herb Gardens by Georgeanne Brennan and Mimi Luebbermann
Digging in dirt is therapeutic. The smell of sage and lavender is therapeutic. So is the simple satisfaction (and facile metaphor) of watching something get a little bigger and a little stronger every day. This book has soothing pastoral pictures and practical suggestions for a city girl with nothing but a fire escape for her farm. Plus, you can utilize your results in the aforementioned grease-laden comfort food.
How to Make Books by Esther K. Smith
I’d guess most bibliophiles have fantasized at some point about learning to bind books. Well, guess what, nerdy dumpee, you’ve got some time on your hands. Five minutes yields an instant eight-fold book; in a few hours you can settle in to make a fabric alphabet baby gift or leather-bound journal. This inspiring guide is beautifully designed and illustrated, and I like the feeling of using historic techniques to create vessels for my current thoughts—even if those are all about what a filthy, worthless, lying, cheating…”
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