Bookish

"I don't believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book"

~ J.K. Rowling

One of the great joys I have in my life is reading. I can thank my wonderful parents for instilling this in me. In my younger days, never was there a night that they didn't read to me before bed, and then later on to listen to me as I read to them. There were such stories of adventure and magic that not only sent me into sweet dreams, but also awakened a creativity that has served me well since. Dad would do all the voices and even act out scenes, making me giggly and hyperactive and not at all 'settled down for sleep' as per mum's instructions. But it was all worth it, to inspire a love in it's purest form; a love for new worlds written by others, feeling like they were made just for me.

A book can transport you into another world, another time, another universe, with all sorts of capabilities that we may not have here in this world. Books are magical. Sometimes a book is so good, that there is a bit of a mourning period when you have finished reading it; like you need time to come back to reality.

Even if the book is not what I want it to be, even if I'm reading it thinking, 'this is just rubbish, why am I doing this to myself?' I will finish it. I can't leave a story untold in my mind once I have started.

I even like the smell of books! I particularly like the smell of ink on new books (ooh, those glossy textbooks too!), but old, musty book smells are also amazing. I like the feel of a book's weight in my hands, and the texture of the paper. I think this is why I can't bring myself to buy an e-reader. I love looking for books (new or old), researching about books, waiting for books to arrive in the mail, holding them in my hand as I walk to a coffee shop... Clearly, reading is a whole-body experience for me.

I have a bit of a 'book-to-screen' rule as well. I usually (as in try to, about 90% of the time!), read the book before I see it's screen adaptation. Many times this has exposed me to a book that I might not have normally read. Other times, I have read the book, then have forgone the movie or tele-series entirely!
Either way, it's a good place to start if I'm unsure what to read next. However, this hardly ever happens. I always seems to have about four books, piled up next to my bed, waiting for me to explore.


"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library" - Jane Austen (1775 - 1817), Pride and Prejudice, 1811

Es ♥