Today is Festival of Sleep Day.
Hamlet quotes “to sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there’s the rub…” There is a rub, one for the fact that Hamlet is talking about death and suicide-not sleeping and dreaming, and two, I had a consultation this morning about a CPAP machine to help me sleep better “perchance to dream”, and not kill myself. I hope soon to be able to dream long dreams every night. To help with those dreams (along with machinery), I will use several books from the library: “Sleep, Your Life’s one Third” by Maurice Chideckel, MD. published 1939. This is a great book about sleep, from a long time ago. He debunks myths about sleep, and the lack of sleep. While dated, it still is a good read. I have several other books he has written, that will come up in later stories. And then “10,000 Dreams interpreted, an Illustrated Guide to Unlocking the Secrets of Your Dreamlife” by Gustavus Hindman Miller, 1999.
I have used books to help induce sleep. The MOST boring (and rather hard to read) book, in spite of its wonderful title, is “Transpiration and the Ascent of SAP in Plants” by Henry H. Dixon, SCD., F.R.S, 1914. I can leaf through it (hah, hah) and after reading just a few short passages, my eyes begin to flutter.
But there are some books when read, have kept me up for hours. I have been so mesmerized by a few stories, that I can begin reading early in the evening and suddenly, it is three o’clock in the morning. One author of of such stories and books, has a birthday today. Happy Birthday to J.R.R. Tolkien, born January 3, 1892. I have a proud place in my library for “The Hobbit” and “the Ring Trilogy”, though to be fair, I have had my mind ‘sometimes wander lost’ paraphrasing Aragorn, when trying to read the Silmarillion.
Happy reading today, regardless if for sleep or adventure.
Librarytomes 