Some people prefer to crochet, collect things, be a part of a group or something else that is soothing and calming. My favorite hobby of choice is reading. Reading gives me a chance to step away from the real world and enter into someone else's.
Every since I was a young girl, reading was sort of an addiction. I would read coupons, newspapers, dictionaries and anything else that would allow my young and to develop. Most of the people that came to my grandmother's house knew that they could find me with the book. Most of them would ask what the book was about and asked me to give them some background on. The look that my eyes would take while explaining what I'm reading and what it was about would excite other people.
Instead of playing outside with the other kids, I would play school or something else that had to do with reading. Reading provided me with more information than a relative could. I gave him a sense of belonging; I belonged in many worlds and for a very short time (because I read so fast), I was so many different people. I was Amelia Bedelia, and I was always misunderstanding my employer's demands.
I was the Magic School Bus, taking the kids own a field trip. I was even Maya Angelou, understanding why the caged bird sang. I was a child who would read books, and have the dictionary right next to me to look up words that I did not understand.
No one could understand why reading did so much for me, and at such a young age I could not say that reality is not that much better. My reality consisted of a wheelchair, misunderstandings and not enough love.
Now, at the age of 26, I'm a writer. I write in various forms, and I remember why reading so important to me. I tried to use that in every book that I write. I remember what it felt like to escape into the reality of others.
The new genres that have erupted take us into worlds we would never imagine stepping near. You have romance, paranormal, science-fiction, fiction and urban. Having so many genres allow us to be so many different people.
In the world that we live in today, there are things that are going on around us that are completely sad. They are heartbreaking and very misunderstood. I believe in change and helping the world. But I also believe in escaping my reality. Sometimes, I don't want to be a part of the world that allows us to be treated unfairly, to have things taken away that we most desperately need and to not be cared for.
I read for the assurance that the world is something that I can escape from.
