Turning Pages
Throughout my entire childhood, reading never appealed to me. I have
always been a fast reader but I found it slow and monotonous, and far
too boring compared to the stories inside my own mind. Quite frankly,
I thought it to be a huge waste of time, and only did it because I had
to for class. I wrote my own stories and songs and drew pictures
instead.
My first experience reading a novel and actually enjoying it was The Hobbit. I was in seventh grade and decided to read it 'just because'. I was amazed how quickly I went through it, and how much I actually liked the story. Lo and behold, maybe reading wasn't such a waste of time after all! Like music, it opened up whole new worlds and invigorated my imagination and saturated my need to escape. I graduated from The Hobbit and moved onto the fantasy standard, The Lord of The Rings, and I was blown away.
It took many more years to finally start reading consistently, and at
first I avoided fiction. Having read Lord of The Rings I found most
other fantasies paled in comparison. Instead I gravitated toward
inspirational books, books about spirituality and positive
reinforcement, books about self-improvement, life and food and
experiencing everything you possibly can. Books like Cold Tangerines
and Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist were absolutely wonderful reads,
and I found myself wanting more.
And eventually, I dove into the deep end of fiction. I decided I should give the other books out there a shot, even though nothing could hold a candle to Rings. Naturally, The Silmarillion was my first venture. It made sense logically, because I loved the history of The Lord Of The Rings so much. I'm not ashamed to admit I've started reading this book about three times and have never finished it, but I'm well on my way and enjoying it thoroughly. I'm also in the middle of The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. A friend recommended this and I'm not at all disappointed! The story is really good, even though there's obvious inspiration from Rings. Go figure!
There's something about purposely getting lost in another place. It reminds me of when I used to chase storms and felt that exhilarating thrill when I'd turn on an unknown side road in the eastern plains of Denver (more on that later). There's something incredibly warm and inviting when you sit down by the fireplace with nothing but the sound of turning pages and crackling flames filling the air, a cup of hot tea, coffee or cocoa at your side. Books are little time capsules that can take you any place, any time, whenever you want. They're just sitting there waiting. I'm such a purist. I like having a book in hand. One day, I might get myself a Kindle, or something like it. I did give in and get an iPod eventually, which I have to admit I've come to love. But until then, I will love turning real, tangible pages, and losing myself in the stories.
My first experience reading a novel and actually enjoying it was The Hobbit. I was in seventh grade and decided to read it 'just because'. I was amazed how quickly I went through it, and how much I actually liked the story. Lo and behold, maybe reading wasn't such a waste of time after all! Like music, it opened up whole new worlds and invigorated my imagination and saturated my need to escape. I graduated from The Hobbit and moved onto the fantasy standard, The Lord of The Rings, and I was blown away.
And eventually, I dove into the deep end of fiction. I decided I should give the other books out there a shot, even though nothing could hold a candle to Rings. Naturally, The Silmarillion was my first venture. It made sense logically, because I loved the history of The Lord Of The Rings so much. I'm not ashamed to admit I've started reading this book about three times and have never finished it, but I'm well on my way and enjoying it thoroughly. I'm also in the middle of The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. A friend recommended this and I'm not at all disappointed! The story is really good, even though there's obvious inspiration from Rings. Go figure!
There's something about purposely getting lost in another place. It reminds me of when I used to chase storms and felt that exhilarating thrill when I'd turn on an unknown side road in the eastern plains of Denver (more on that later). There's something incredibly warm and inviting when you sit down by the fireplace with nothing but the sound of turning pages and crackling flames filling the air, a cup of hot tea, coffee or cocoa at your side. Books are little time capsules that can take you any place, any time, whenever you want. They're just sitting there waiting. I'm such a purist. I like having a book in hand. One day, I might get myself a Kindle, or something like it. I did give in and get an iPod eventually, which I have to admit I've come to love. But until then, I will love turning real, tangible pages, and losing myself in the stories.
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