Carmi got me thinking with this post, about reading.
For me, a book is my entrance into a world of endless possibilities. When I read, I AM. I become the main character and remain so until I turn the last page.
I control the turning of those pages. How fast I turn them depends entirely on the level of excitement or suspense of the book in question. I confess to being sorely tempted to read the end of the book, and yes, I have done so several times before.
Because I become a major player in the plot, I possess a burning desire to know the outcome. Will I die? Will I solve the murder before I become a permanent fixture in the support beam of a bridge currently being constructed? Will I find the man of my dreams and marry him? Will I be a pilot? A famous lawyer? A woman who is down on my luck, but rising to the challenges life hands me, only to become a famous producer or real estate tycoon? A pilot? The lover of a gunslinger named Angel? The possibilities are endless.
My oldest child loves to read. And she reads just about anything. She is capable of reading more than one book at a time, much like her male parental unit. When you visit my house, you would find that there are a few books in the bathroom, the living room, the bedrooms, and even in the garage.
I myself have never mastered that skill. I need to read a book from cover to cover before I attempt to move on to the next one. I am also incapable of moving on to another book immediately. I need to come down from the inexplicable high I inevitably feel after becoming someone else. The journey back to reality is one I never hurry.
Reading. It does a body good. Thoughts?
Comments
Liked your post. I am a book addict from way back, and I know exactly what you mean by losing yourself in the characters. Whe I was a little girl I used books to program my dreams at night. I would decide to visit the Mad Hatter's Tea party or join up with Robin Hood and his merry men in Sherwood Forest or even feast with the gods on Mount Olympus.
Here's to imagination and old friends that live in bound pages . . . Juno
Posted by: Juno at May 19, 2005 05:44 AM
I'll never forget my mom chastising my dad with the words, "Always gotcher nose in some damn book!" When he read, everything else disappeared for him. Including her. hehe
Thankfully, I've inherited his love of reading, too. Like you, I totally immerse myself in a book. I just wish my daughter had carried on that love. But, (fingers crossed) I think my granddaughter has.
Posted by: Pammy at May 19, 2005 12:11 PM
Hmm yup i know that feeling, I do can read a book in a weekend depends on how thick it is and what it is. mind you I only really read books I own and Im slowly aquiring more but the ones I have are being read :D hmm now just to find the A-M of the Kinsey Milhone Series.. I've read the all, got them out the local library but hmm I want to own them now...
Posted by: Gopher at May 19, 2005 03:52 PM
Your BabeWit image has been changed!
Posted by: Mark at May 20, 2005 04:47 PM
You have captured the magic that is reading. I was hoping to stoke a little discussion on books vs. e-books, but it went much further than that, and for that I am elated.
I think what I love about reading a book is its ability to transport you to an amazingly rich world. The theatre of the mind can create images and worlds of such depth that days, months and years later, they remain between your ears, as vibrant as ever.
Nothing else comes close. It's one of the reasons why I love being on the other, creative, side as well. What a privilege for me to help build similar worlds for others.
Posted by: Carmi at May 22, 2005 06:18 PM