I love books

I love books. In fact, since I was in the 6th grade most of my best friends have been made because of a mutual love of books. Books have literally changed my life. I completely changed the way I was thinking about my body after reading Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life. I completely changed the way I eat after reading Fit for Life by Harvey Diamond. I changed my relationship with money and the way I felt about politics after reading Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman. I changed the way I parented after reading Playful Parenting and how I taught my daughter about the world after reading Protecting the Gift by Gavin DeBecker. I decorate totally differently since I discovered books on Feng Shui, and I haven’t really felt good about a cheeseburger since I read Fast Food Nation. Mostly though, I love fiction, chic lit, smut, historical fiction, mysteries, and the occasional sci fi just to keep things interesting.

I love reading books, I love discussing books. I love browsing for books in libraries, book stores, garage sales, and newsstands. I love the anticipation of having a new book to read and the satisfied/disappointed feeling I have when I have finished a good book. I married a man who also loves books and am raising a child who is an avid reader. Sometimes when I am not sure that my parenting is really going all that well I remind myself that my child loves to read and is good at reading and therefore can rule the world if she wishes to do so.

I think life is easier for those of us who love to read. We are rarely bored, our hobby can be free (though I admit that just seeing a Barnes&Noble on the horizon makes me feel giddy…), we tend to have better vocabularies, be better spellers, have broader senses of experience even if we haven’t travelled much, and be more interesting in conversation. There are always new books being written so we can never run out of material, and our hobby is helpful and applicable in everyday life.

I love books. Last year for Christmas I bought my husband a Sony e-Reader. He loves it. He loves how small and compact it is. He loves getting a new book quickly simply by downloading it from the internet. He loves the technology. I have read a few novels on the e-Reader, but for me, it’s just not the same. I am a touchy-feely kind of girl, I guess, because I want to hold the book, turn the pages, flip back to re-read something, or flip forward to “cheat” on what happens next. I want to meet new people because they see the title of what I’m reading and want to discuss it. I want the anticipation of opening the book and I like the finality of closing it when I’m finished.

My friend Debbie drives a lot for her job, so she also likes audio books, something I am quickly learning to love myself. I feel like I can workout for hours while listening to an audio book. I have cleaned my house, painted many rooms, and folded endless loads of laundry while listening to audio books. I even find myself sometimes envying Deb her time alone in the car with her audio books. I imagine her all snug and comfy, driving along, sipping a coffee, alone in her own little world while listening to a great book.

I sometimes dream of writing a book. I don’t think I am committed enough to the idea now to really stick to it, but maybe someday. For now I’ll stick to my little blog, hopefully providing reading enjoyment for somebody else who shares my love.