You can read me anything

 I was having a conversation about books the other day. We were discussing books that we enjoyed and it was a conversation we’ve had several times.  Now I know people who don’t read, and who have no books. That, to me, is horrifying.  How do you get through life like that?  Books and stories are so central to me, and I have bookcases that are stuffed to overflowing with material that I’ve read and reread many times... and yet, I know people who use books only as ornaments or, worse, who have no books at all!  I’m stunned speechless...

My books are a comfort and a support to me.  There are those that I reread frequently, because they are light, entertaining and do not require a lot of my attention to complete.  There are others that I enjoy and reread from time to time, and the frequency of my rereads varies over time.  For instance, there were several books that I read extensively when I was younger, and they have remained with me (I can quote passages verbatim from some of them!) but I don't read them as often now.  If I pick up one, I fall into the story easily and allow it to carry me.  Then there are the books that I read once, and finally, those that I haven't finished. There's not much distinction between those two last categories, honestly.  For me to not finish a book says that the author doesn't speak to me, and that they and I are wasting our time together, which is never a good thing!  To read a book just once is like having a conversation with a stranger in a line.  You exchange pleasantries, but no substance, and you walk away still strangers.  My other books are friends, mentors, teachers, and each time I enter their worlds, I emerge richer for the experience.

I don't know, and I can't easily explain, which books will have an effect on me and which won't.  It's not straightforward -- for instance, I thoroughly enjoyed the Wheel of Time series, with its 14 1,000-page volumes and several extra books.  I read somewhere that it contained 10,000 named characters, and there was a dedicated group of fans who undertook to maintain internal consistency (and some of the characters were named for the fans)  I devoured those books, and mostly enjoyed them (there were a couple that were weak links in the whole.)  But the Song of Ice and Fire didn't work for me.  I read one book and decided not to continue.  I tried watching the Game of Thrones and only made it halfway through the first season... It just did not speak to me, although its popularity certainly puts me in a minority!  I really enjoy the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, but I've met those who couldn't stand it.  (The movie didn't help, either!)

I'm working on broadening my reading habits.  It's too easy to stay in the comfort of familiar stories, so I know what's happening next, and not being surprised.  I'm often disappointed when I read certain stories because they don't fully engage me and then I think that I'll just return to my comfort zone.  I've been logging my reading experiences on GoodReads where I've read over 300 books in the last 2 years.  There's a definite pattern, which I'll have to work on changing.  What do you read, and why?



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