Our house is full of books - as I have a hard time giving any away. Books, to me, are a little like food - my cupboards would seem bare if I didn't have a few shelves of books in sight.
I remember once, as a child, visiting relatives on a rainy weekend. I scoured the house for something to do, and discovered a shelf of books. I began to read one by Emil Zola, an author I had never heard of. The memory of that cozy afternoon, spent reading in an upstairs bedroom, is with me still.
Reading was a pleasure that was encouraged in our home - though sometimes visiting relatives saw my love of reading as "laziness." I probably avoided a lot of housework by reading, but I didn't read (I don't think) to avoid doing housework! Every weekend, I would read two novels: one on Saturday, one on Sunday. It may have been a kind of imaginative escapism - but it also served to broaden my world.
I don't lie on the bed reading for hours anymore, like I did as a child. (My back would probably give out if I tried!) And I rarely read novels anymore either. The last time I got caught up in one was last fall when I started to read Water For Elephants, a fascinating story about an old man in a nursing home reliving his life as a circus veterinarian. I highly recommend it!
The kinds of books I enjoy now are memoirs - where people share stories of their lives. These days, I find fact more fascinating than fiction. The Crosswicks Journals of Madeleine L'Engle are an example, or the memoirs of Anne Lamott. It usually takes me a few months to finish one of those books, and I'm always sad when the book comes to an end (which may be why I have so many unfinished books on my bedside table.) The memoirs I enjoy reading give me the feeling that I'm having a little visit with the author, who is telling me about some of the things he or she has done. My world is a richer, happier place after the "visit."
Books I read nowadays usually have the potential to change me, or at least to make me see life in a slightly different way. And I find it easier to read books with short chapters - with a few thoughts that I can later reflect on.
When I look back, I can only remember one time when books weren't part of my life. For about 4 months after my first year at university, I didn't even want to look at a book! Then about five months later, I walked into a public library - I was ready to read again!
(I don't remember what I did in my free time that summer -I think I kept busy knitting.)
Reading is probably one of the greatest pleasures of my life - I have visited so many interesting places and met so many fascinating people ... through their books!
No comments:
Post a Comment