B is for Books

Dear Books,

Remember the time when I was a pre-teen and a teenager and I would check out dozens of books at a time from the library and read them all in a week? Remember the hours I spent with so many of you, disappearing to far-off places in my imagination?

People always say that reading books is necessary to be a good writer. There are many reasons for this, but I think an important aspect of it is that books spur our imaginations onward. When we read something beautiful or thought-provoking or painful, it helps us grow in our minds and imaginations.

You and I, dear books, have struggled with each other for a while now. This is my fault. It's not that I don't read—it's that it has become harder for me to read. I have been doing so much writing and editing, more writing and editing, and oh, did I mention writing and editing, that by the time I sit down with a book, I'm so firmly in editing mode that I have a hard time getting into the story. There have been some that have sucked me right in and held me captive until the end, but not nearly as many as there once were.

And this makes me sad. This is one of the reasons why I am giving my writing brain a break right now to take time to read books. Lots of books. Books of all kinds. To seek out the beauty of the words and to get pulled into amazing worlds. I even added a little gadget here so I can mark what I'm currently reading. I am excited to see what adventures I find in all of these pages.

Happily,
A Reader


*Question of the day: What is/are your favorite book(s) and why?