Take a Look, It's in a Book

Pardon the title grabbed directly from the opening of Reading Rainbow, but it feels appropriate for this. I've always been a firm believer that books are some of the most fantastic pieces of art. They're little worlds to venture and escape to. Within their words are characters that become so close they might as well be your friends and family, or worst enemies. The places they live are fleshed out fully in your mind's eye. You envision this realm with such clarity, and each version is a little different from reader to reader, as they all bring something new to the table.

I've been thinking about this a bit more as I've returned to my childhood bedroom. There are books there that haven't been touched for years (I, regrettably, can't take my entire personal library with me wherever I go (I know it's better for the environment and less expensive, but I can't get over the sensation of having a physical book in hand)). I've even reread a few since coming back. Like old friends you don't talk to as often as you used to, but with some magical ease you reconnect as if no time has passed. You just pick up wherever you left the bookmark. I've also been thinking about this as I swap recommendations with friends. Hearing what they get out of the same books I love is a fascinating experience. It warms me when they speak to something I also cherish in the book. It excites me when they note something I missed or maybe didn't appreciate on my first read.

This is just kinda short and sappy, mainly because I have other things I want to write and read but I wanted to put this on my blog because it's important to me. Reading's super rad. It's an indulgence in raw human emotion preserved on paper in ink. The phantoms of wishes and dreams from people long dead or still walking this earth. Who were they when they wrote this story? How would they want it to be told now? What would they change? What would they keep? I wonder this every time, without fail.

It's a holiday weekend. Whether you're spending time with family, or friends, or alone; heading to the beach; stuck at work; no matter what, try and find some time to crack open a book. You won't regret it.