For The Love Of Reading

I. LOVE. BOOKS. I’ve always enjoyed reading. I am the type of person that if I like a book, I will keep it and read it again. Those worthy of this are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Glass Castle , Cold Sassy Tree, and A Separate Peace. This has produced a large collection of books. Every year I give away a vast number of books, and somehow they still seem to stack up.

The musty smell of a book stashed on a library shelf or the sound of pages being turned make my heart pound – thus said, I never thought I would give in and purchase a kindle. How can a book lover (not just a lover of words or reading, but a LOVER OF BOOKS) possibly enjoy reading without the sound, smell, or feel of a book at her fingertips? It was love at first touch! Gone are the piles of book that cluttered the house. Ok, I’m lying. I still have tons of book, but I have lessened my collection and am not adding more to it. It’s amazing carrying so many books in so little space. Even though the cost of ebooks are so much less than paper books, I spend more because I buy more. I take my kindle almost everywhere I go. I’m never bored. I no longer have to worry about the germs on the magazines in doctor’s offices. And I don’t get sick reading in the car any more!

The most recent books I’ve read are The Help and Water for Elephants. Both have been made into movies. Often I am disappointed in the movie after reading the book. However, I enjoyed Water for Elephants, and absolutely can not wait for The Help to hit the theater. The best nonfiction books I’ve read lately are A Writer’s Book of Days which gives a years worth of writing prompts and Writing and Being: Embracing Your Writing Throough Creative Journaling which is a soul searching writer’s paper back (or kindle in my case) dream.

My father is a lifelong reader. I can not remember ever seeing him in his bed without a book or newspaper in his hand. On the other hand, I don’t think I recall ever seeing my mother read a book. I mean she read, but it was always the newspaper or one of those trash mags like Enquirer or Star. I know she reads the bible and books for bible study…and she mentions novels she’s read, but I’ve never actually seen her with one in her hand. That seems really weird to me now that I think about it. At any rate, both of my parents always encouraged me to read.

When I was young reading was an adventure. It took me to places I’d never been, and allowed me for a short while the ability to be someone else. Now, I read for entertainment and education. I enjoy being lost in other worlds for short periods of time, and I also love learning new skills and information. I can spend hours in bookstores or libraries or even online looking at books and making wish lists. And now I have the ability of one click ordering directly to my kindle…talk about instant gratification (except when the book doesn’t come in kindle form)!

Sprite’s Keeper: Books