# Need Book Recommendations for a Short Hospital Stay **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345 "2012-01-23T00:26:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![1GothMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/90ced4/32.png) [@1GothMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1GothMama)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/1 "2012-01-23T00:26:07Z")
I am having a c-section on Wednesday, which with my doctor/hospital means 5 days in the hospital. It’s my second child, so I know a lot of my time will be taken up with baby and visitors, but I did want to stock up my iPad with some books for the down times. You guys have helped me out with successful book recommendations for my husband so I thought I’d turn to you again for help. I have a good selection of easy-read romance novels, but I was hoping to find some non fiction stuff as well. I’m a fan of Mary Roach type books, where the author takes one facet of the world/life (Roach has done sex, the afterlife, death and space travel. I’ve also read books about being tall, the history of the penis and fencing.) I don’t need it to be text book in-depth and would in fact prefer it isn’t. Just something well written, hopefully humorous and not too heavy, since I’ll be sleep deprived. I’m also open to adventure/biography type stories. I just finished a book about the quest for the deepest cave in the world, which was really interesting and taught me far, FAR more about cave exploration then my claustrophobic self ever needed to know. Again, something on the lighter side, preferably with some humor to it. I hope this gives a good idea of what I’m looking for. Feel free to ask for clarification. Thanks so much! ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/2 "2012-01-23T00:41:50Z")
If you like Mary Roach’s style, you might like Bill Bryson’s _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ or _At Home_. If you like Mary Roach’s treatment of off-beat topics, you might like _Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy_ by Melissa Millgrom. I love Richard Preston and highly recommend _The Wild Trees_. All these are fairly short, easy reads. ETA: Congrats on the baby and good luck! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/3 "2012-01-23T00:50:13Z")
In the adventure/humor department, you might enjoy Tim Cahill. My favorites by him are [Pass the Butterworms: Remote Journeys Oddly Rendered](http://www.amazon.com/Pass-Butterworms-Remote-Journeys-Rendered/dp/0375701117/), [Pecked To Death By Ducks](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0679749292/$%7B0%7D) and [Road Fever](http://www.amazon.com/Road-Fever-Tim-Cahill/dp/0394758374/). ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/4 "2012-01-23T09:29:06Z")
Perhaps Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series of romance/comedy/mystery books? (_One for the Money, Two for the Dough, Three to get Deadly_ et al) ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/5 "2012-01-23T10:42:36Z")
For a hospital stay, I would suggest a collection of relatively short essays because of all the usual hospital interruptions. It’s hard to get into a deep novel when you have to set it down every fifteen minutes or so and then try to remember where you were. I like James Gleick’s [Faster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gleick) from a few years back. One of those Scientific American quarterly collections would also be good for me or a collection of short stories. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/6 "2012-01-23T11:22:12Z")
I found [The Disappearing Spoon](http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-disappearing-spoon/id357662234?mt=11) to be a fun and interesting non-fiction read about the Elements/Periodic table, with a great mix of weird factoids concerning their discoveries, discovers, the Table and the elements themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/7 "2012-01-23T11:59:40Z")
**Bossypants** by Tina Fey might be kind of appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/8 "2012-01-23T12:57:26Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > If you like Mary Roach’s style, you might like Bill Bryson’s _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ or _At Home_. Yes, these are good suggestions. My favorite funny-yet-educational book is Joe Quirk’s [Sperm are from Men, Eggs are from Women](http://www.amazon.com/Sperm-are-Men-Eggs-Women/dp/B000W946CW/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327323206&sr=1-4). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/9 "2012-01-23T17:57:58Z")
I’m quite fond of John Scalzi’s _Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded_. It’s a series of blog entries which are actually worth reading. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/10 "2012-01-23T18:08:22Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > **Bossypants** by Tina Fey might be kind of appropriate. Stole my recommendation! I’m listening to the audiobook right now, featuring Miss Fey doing the reading. Outstanding. ---
**Author:** ![1GothMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/90ced4/32.png) [@1GothMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1GothMama)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-book-recommendations-for-a-short-hospital-stay/610345/11 "2012-01-23T20:29:11Z")
Thanks so much! I picked up _At Home_ and _Still Life_ and will take a look at the others mentioned as well. **cmyk** I had looked at _The Disappearing Spoon_, but was afraid it might be too dry, I’ll take a second look at it now. I am a big fan of Tina Fey, so I think I’ll grab _Bossypants_, though it may wait to read it till I’m out of the new parent haze. **Lynn** _Your Hate Mail. . ._ sounds like fun, and you’re probably right about finding short bites. Will take a look. Keep 'em coming if you have 'em. I still have 48 hours before going in :eek: