Books are a Uniquely Portable Magic

Books have always held a special spot in my life. From an early age, my mom helped to cultivate a love for reading, and trips to the library were a regular occurrence. I remember wandering the stacks as a kid, creating a massive pile of books I could barely carry yet I was convinced I could read before the next trip. Books have this special kind of magic to transport you to another time or world or life and it’s mesmerizing.

“She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and LIVE” – Anne Dillard

If I can find a good book to lose myself in, it’s over. There’s no chance of being able to communicate with me. I remember my mom being so irritated with me for ignoring her before she finally realized that I was so completely immersed in my book, I had absolutely no notion of what was going on around me. It annoys the hell out of K., though sometimes he talks to me on purpose to mess with me while I’m reading. As Stephen King said “books are a uniquely portable magic” and I can so easily lose myself for several hours and not even realize the time has passed.

I will always prefer to read the in-hand copy of book versus electronically. Books have the most distinct smell and can trigger the best memories. Curled up on the couch with a book and hot cocoa, reading under the covers with a flashlight, the first time you read your favorite book. The smell itself has the ability to transport you to another time!

One of my favorite books of all time is Pride and Prejudice. I actually own the copy my mom had when she was a young girl… the pages are yellowed and the entire cover is missing but I still read it! {I have another copy I switch to towards the end because the last few pages are missing or torn}. The first time I tried to read it was horrendous. I chose it for an honors english book report and couldn’t even make it past the first chapter. The verbage was weird and I couldn’t understand it, I thought the book was awful and ultimately chose a different book off the list. The second time the book crossed my path was dual enrollment english 3 years later. This time the book was required as part of our summer reading homework and I had to write a big paper on it and be able to take a test on it once school started. To prepare myself, I downloaded everything I could from spark notes – character analysis, plot summaries, other reader questions – you name it, I read it. By the time I actually tried to read the book, I was so well versed in each character and could understand the overall premise that reading it was easy. And I LOVED IT. Not going to lie, I also own the BBC 6-hour movie version with Colin Firth and the movie version with Keira Knightley.

I am always open to recommendations for new books or authors to try. You never know when you’re going to find your next favorite read. My older sister got me hooked on the Outlander series (one of the easiest books to completely engulf yourself in) when I was in college (I also recently got hooked on the STARZ TV adaptation. New season out November 4th! YESSSSS). A friend gifted me the first 3 books in James Rollins Sigma Force series because he knew I would get hooked… I did. I just picked up #13 from the library today. One of my volleyball players from grad school convinced me to read the Hunger Games – the Young Adult section sometimes has the best finds. And my mom is constantly setting aside books from her personal collection she thinks any of us might like (books are her ultimate guilty pleasure).

TOP 5 SERIES RECOMMENDATIONS

1.  The Riyria Revelations by Michael J Sullivan
2. Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
3. NUMA Series by Clive Cussler
4. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
5. Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning (complete guilty pleasure – fluff read)

TOP 5 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. Sisters by Danielle Steel
4. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
5. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

The best decoration is a stack of well-loved books

XO