The Joy of Reading

I posted before about how you should Kill Your TV. This could be a continuation on that. Reading is so amazing. Every time I pick up a new book after not having read for a while I say to myself, "Why have I been wasting time doing anything else?"

There is something about the way we engage with written word that is invigorating. As much as I love cinema, they do all the work for you. You are shown exactly what they want you to see, exactly as they want you to see it. In reading, we take back control of our imagination, of our own creativity. In the world of non-fiction, we are given something we can take at our own pace, contemplate in our own time.

If you don't consider yourself a "reader", ask a friend who is for a recommendation. Start with the classics, many of which are free for the Kindle. Often times becoming a reader is simply a matter of finding what style of books you like, what your favorite genre is. For me, it's Young Adult Fiction, mostly of the post-apocalyptic/dystopian variety. For a while I was ashamed, but then I learned to embrace it. Now, I am writing YA fiction!

If you feel like reading is boring, it's because you haven't found which books interest you. Don't write off the whole activity because you could never finished a book in your 10th grade English class. The variety of genres and sub-genres is endless. Find your niche and jump in, but don't get stuck there.  Every once and a while I venture out into other places in literature and non-fiction. Sometimes I am disappointed, and other times I'm glad. Luckily, there are more books than you can ever read, so if I'm not liking something, I move on. Don't force your way through it, or refuse to start another book because you are in the middle of this horrid one. Books don't mind if you cheat on them with other books, I am currently three-timing and that doesn't even take into consideration my Kindle.

Have I said Kindle enough? I was skeptical of this new-fangled device, yes another piece of electronic equipment I need to keep track of. But after I started to use it, I realized this: Kindle's are the way to go. I currently have 35 books on my Kindle. I can even check out books from the library. The convenience is unparalleled and if you don't get carried away with bells and whistles like colored screens, just buy a freaking tablet already!, you can get one for $79 and I am sure cheaper used or refurbed.*

Don't have time to read? Listen to audiobooks. I have two friends who do this almost constantly, they have "read" more than I can comprehend. If you have a long commute or mindless tasks to do at work, take a break from music and listen to a book. Unlike simply reading though, you have to be a little more  intentional about which audiobook you choose. A bad narrator can ruin the whole story. You are also giving away some of the control I mentioned earlier. You might have imagined someone's voice differently or read a description with a different feel or tone. One of the best audiobooks in my opinion is still one of the first I ever listened to, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It's a weird little story, read amazingly well.

There is no reason for you not to read. Appreciate the fact that you can, something that wasn't always the norm for this country and still isn't in parts of the world. Celebrate your literacy, not by reading another text message or Facebook status update, but with a work of art, one that a publisher deemed worthy enough to waste ink on.


What books recommendations do you have? What's your favorite genre?
I use Shelfari to organize what I have, would like to and am currently reading. Check out my shelf for recommendations, it isn't all YA fiction, I promise.



*No Amazon.com did not sponsor this post, though maybe I should be charging for the advertisement. If someone in power at Amazon is reading this and would like more posts of the sort, please feel free to contact me by clicking on the e-mail icon on your right to discuss fees and services.

The Reason for the Delay

Wow! It's been a long time since I've posted.

I've had some questions recently about why I am not writing on the Blog anymore and I thought I'd try to answer them.

Over the past 4 months I have been writing a book. It's really exciting and given me something to do with my time. It's challenged me and forced me to really think through how to express ideas. But it takes time and it makes me not want to write on the blog after writing other things all day. Also, I don't feel like I've had much to share with the greater community. In this blogs heyday, the whopping number of months that it was, I had ideas and encouragement that I felt was important enough to share with people. Now, I don't quite feel the same way. But I do feel some kind of stirring to write here again. So, I am not sure what form that is going to take or how often I will actually be posting. Hopefully more often then every 6 months and with better things than what you've just read.

Thanks for your patience, if there are any of you still reading this.