I have never really understood people who do not like reading, people who even complain about having to read a book for school. I do get that some people just do not like reading as a hobby, but the fact that some people could hate reading surprises me. Books of all genres have so much to offer this world. They transport you to a different place and time, and they enrich your mind with new thoughts and ideas. By not reading, you are denying yourself of all these things, plus many others.

I became a prolific reader when I was eleven years old, when my best friend forced me against my will to read the "Percy Jackson" series, by Rick Riordan. Believe me when I say that I argued with her for minutes, because I was unbelievably apprehensive and stubborn. Before that moment, I had always condemned reading as boring, but then again, the only books that I had ever really read had been educational ones for school. I assumed all books were that dry and lifeless, but oh boy, was I wrong. I curled up on the comfy chair in her living room and I started chapter one, "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher." All subsequent chapters have titles that are just as silly and I was captivated by the idea that a book could be funny. A book could make me laugh, or yell in outrage or get teary-eyed. This series accomplished all of these things, while also providing one heck of a story that I still love and reread to this day.

Another example would definitely be the "Harry Potter" series, by J.K. Rowling, which was the very next series that I read after "Percy Jackson." I checked all seven out from the local library, the librarian commenting that she hoped I could finish them all in the three week span. I cracked open the first one, and I devoured the words on the page. The struggles of the characters became my own, and the pain they felt was shared with me. Whether I was reading from my bed, the car, or the couch in my living room, these books became the air that I breathed, and the words filled my lungs. I finished all seven in a little under two weeks, because it was summer vacation and I had more free time than needed. I certainly proved that librarian wrong.

So what is the moral of this article? I suppose that books can change us. These two, distinctive series altered my misconception of books, and they turned me into a bibliophile. I now have a bookcase bulging with books of all genres. I treat my novels with the utmost care, as if they were a cherished friend, and to me, I guess they are. In my loneliest times, the characters that I read about lent me their strength and their friendship, which may seem a little silly. How can a fictional character feel like a friend to you? Well, if you were a lover of books, then you would completely understand what I mean.