Easy on the Eyes

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So the last few posts have been heavy on the writing aspect of the book-world. I figured a nice switch to the reading bit was in order.

I'm currently reading three books. Yes. Three!

That doesn't bode well for the first two, I have to admit, but I won't go into details on that until I posts the reviews (insert the "Darth Vader" march music, here)

I have a NookColor that I read on. It has well over 600 books on it, most of which I've read. And a good half of them I've enjoyed!

My foray into the literary arena began when I was a kid. My dad and I used to talk J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. You know how you have those memories of The Thing that really pulled you and a parent close to you? Yeah, that was reading for me.

I remember a whole summer where I laid outside in the sunshine in my bikini, catching rays and devouring romance novels and fantasy novels and Sci-Fi novels like they were ice creams melting in the heat!



There was something amazing about each book I read. These people came to life. These people I'd never met before. These people who I suddenly felt confident to confront with my (imagined) witty repartee when I started to day-dream.

In fact, to this day, I think a lot of my confidence stems from my reading.

Not because I know more.

Because I dream more.

With these tools in my hands, I was able to see myself through someone else's eyes. I put myself in their shoes and wondered what I would have chosen to do in their stead.

It wasn't all imagining myself with big boobs and perfect hair. Noooo, not at all.

Well... yeah, some.

It was imagining myself as part of something important. Imagining myself as part of something dramatic and effectual. In my daydreams, I survived the obstacles and came out ahead.

"Whether you think you can do something or not, you're right."

I think that says a lot about my life as a reader.

I would even say that I'm far more a "reader" than a "writer", although to be the latter one must assuredly be the former, as well.

My favorite books as a young kid, a pre-teen, a teen, and now, still have an affect on my day-to-day life in some form or another:

Whether it's the need for a reprieve (those are the "now" books), the need to feel confident (those are the "teen" books), the need to feel adventurous (those are the "pre-teen" books) or the need to spread my wings (those are actually the "young kid" books, oddly enough), these books offered me the chance to test myself in a safe environment.

I could run myself through the Dark Moments of each novel and see how I came out. Then I could turn around and do it again, differently, to exact a different outcome.

www.westkarana.com (c) Dragon Age Char Builder

I wielded a rapier wit that astonished my enemies and motivated my friends. I could be short, tall, black, white, orange, red-headed, blue-headed and have turquoise eyes. It didn't matter. And as long as I followed the parameters of the Universe in the book, then I could come up with a battle plan on how to get where I wanted to be.

I learned a whole lot about life through the harrowing experiences of a novel's heroine, safe in my own home, without the life-long guilt or consequences! How awesome is that?

And what virtual reality could ever compare to the imagination in my own mind? It's designed JUST for my by me.

I still made some silly decisions (as requisite of every individual past the age of 5). I became a pretty good person, though, if I do say so, myself. I enjoy who I am, faults and all. And I have these authors to thank. I appreciate these authors who gave me a little chunk of themselves and by doing so, helped me to learn who I am!

Keep reading, folks!

After all,

Life's hard!

But it's harder when you're illiterate. :D




P. S. Because I totally teased you with the title, here's a little some'in. :)

Had this on my HD. No idea where it came from. Sorry!