If you know me, you know reading is a huge part of my life. I would pick reading a good book over binging Netflix literally any day of the week. Unfortunately, during the school year, I have little to no time to read for pleasure due to the whole English major thing. I read a million books every term, and most of them have been incredible reads, but there's nothing better than reading for pleasure. While I'm super glad my major and career path has put a ton of new books in front of me, I'm definitely bummed I've had to put down the young adult fiction and the mystery thrillers for the past few months.
However, now that it's summertime and the living is easy, I have time to do what I love. I'm a bit behind the times, but I just picked up "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn, and I literally cannot put it down. I'm dying to know what happened to Amy, and all of my friends who have either read it or seen the movie keep alluding to this giant plot twist that I'm itching to know about. I just feel so out of the loop!
Anyway, while "Gone Girl" is truly an amazing read and Gillian Flynn is probably the most detailed, tone-aware writer I've ever read, this article isn't about this particular book. It's about the feeling you get when you pick something up that you want to finish in one sitting. It's the feeling I try to explain to people when they tell me they don't like reading or they never felt any attachment to books. To me, this is devastating to hear because books were my getaway as a child, and they still are as an adult (even though I don't have as much time as I used to!).
Being completely lost in a book is like being taken to a whole other universe. All of a sudden, you're creating faces and places through the words of someone else. No two people have the same vision of what the author is writing, but that's the fun of it. I can't tell you how much I've loved talking to my friends about how we each perceived certain characters or how much we wish we could visit certain places.
Books create a common point of interest for conversation, too. While reading is a pretty individual activity, it can bring up hours of discussion in both academic and social situations. Also, while you may read a book on your own, one of my favorite things to do is take someone to "go reading" with me. Just this morning, my boyfriend and I got lunch and found a place outside in the shade to sit and read out respective novels. This is something we plan on keeping up for the whole summer, and it was a really nice way to spend time together while simultaneously expanding our literary knowledge.
I guess what I'm really trying to say here is don't give up on reading. It doesn't matter if you're 10, 21, 46, or 89, you still have time to fall in love with books. If you tell me reading just isn't for you, I'll literally never believe you. It just means you haven't found the book that changed your mind yet. It is seriously impossible for me to think of a feeling that tops the complete captivation of a book that captures your mind and soul, so please, please, PLEASE don't discount reading!
