The Great Escape: Disappear Into A Story

Your teens are holding a car wash at the high school Saturday. The grandparents volunteered to take the younger children to a movie Sunday afternoon. Your tweens take tap on Wednesday evening.  It’s your time. Take it.

Each week, we’ll tell you about one great idea to give you a much deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier.

A short break can do wonders for the soul. If you only have only a few hours to get away and don’t want to spend them driving, stay close to home but get away by taking your mind off your daily chores.

Try relaxing with a book and a good cup of coffee. The Bay Area is home to many, many coffeehouses and bookstores, and coffeehouses within book stores.

The closest large chain bookstore in Hercules and Pinole is Barnes & Noble in El Cerrito.  The larger stores on the other side of Highway 4 are Barnes & Noble in Pleasant Hill and Borders Books (which is closing) in the downtown Pleasant Hill Crescent Drive shopping area.

Benicia has Bookshop Benicia and Bay City Books. In Martinez, check out , and .

What’s the great thing about relaxing in a bookstore versus the library? You can peek at the books on the bestseller lists to see what the fuss is about. This week, the two books topping the New York Times nonfiction list are Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, which chronicles the story of an Olympic runner who was imprisoned by the Japanese in World War II; and The Social Animal by David Brooks. Brooks uses fictional characters to take a scientific look at the human mind and the actions and behaviors that foster success.

If fiction is more your speed, Live Wire by Harlan Coben is the bestseller of the week. It’s the story of Myron Bolitar’s search for a missing rock star, which prompts him to start asking questions about what happened to his own brother.

So get your coffee or tea and get reading.