“You do not want to be a good reader. You want to be a patient reader.”
My writing professor’s words stuck with me like superglue. I suddenly realized that I had been approaching reading the wrong way. As an English major, reading consumed my entire life and I wholly welcomed the flood of books. However, my book enthusiasm sometimes wore out. I would read so fast in order to keep up with my classes and by the end, I would only obtain half of the storyline and a few random quotes and details. For my personal, recreational reading, I would still read as fast as I could and solely focused on the plot and characters. I failed to realize how many profound phrases and sentences I missed out on because of my speed reading tendencies.
Before my professor said those wise words to me, I had been quite frustrated with my reading life. I would read and read until my eyesight turned blurry, yet I was speed reading. With websites like BuzzFeed and Goodreads, I kept adding books to my “to-read” shelf and constantly found inspiration to read. College also forced me to read profusely. I never stopped loving reading, but I began to fall fast into a sea of exhaustion and exasperation. I soon realized that I have read so much, yet I have not read anything at all. Storylines and characters danced around my mind, yet I never paid close attention to the very core of what books and good writing are made of—words.
In the English language, words are a combination of 26 letters that are put together to make a certain sound, convey a specific or ambiguous meaning and to evoke feeling. That is all books are. Each book serves as a safe that contains a unique word combination that the human mind must unlock. Plot and characters undeniably enrich a book, but words make up each unique story and dynamic character. Words are the reason that the world reads and we often forget that.
Before I never understood the worth of a single word, phrase, or sentence until my professor shared that piece of advice with me. He told me that speed reading should never be the goal. He encouraged me to take it slow and savor each delicious word. Just a mere sentence can make a book worth reading. One fitting phrase. One perfect word choice.
This new perspective on reading caused a significant impact on me. I now felt more revived and less stressed about being an English major and a bibliophile. My love for reading came back to life. I made it my goal to read patiently, instead of swiftly.
Granted, slow reading can easily fall into a lazy activity, but one must remember to read closely, intentionally and passionately because that is the key to being a patient bibliophile. One should never put a time limit or quantity count on greatness. Greatness is never manufactured; it is revealed. I want to read each book as if I am looking for buried treasure; I want to get lost in a forest of beautiful, potent words. It is so much more fulfilling and enjoyable to focus on quality rather than quantity. If it takes me a year to read just one book because I am so enraptured by the brilliant writing, so be it. I would rather read one amazing book than 50 mediocre ones. A competent, enthusiastic reader is not a person who reads quickly and abundantly; it is the person who takes each page one sentence, one phrase, one word at a time.
This slower reading journey has led me to appreciate and adore books and stories that I would have never before considered great. If I had sped through Henry James’ "Daisy Miller," his subtlety would have frustrated me, yet I so am enthralled by his delicacy and think it is absolutely astounding. Every single piece of dialogue in "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wild is simply perfect, and I am so grateful that I allowed myself to cherish each hilarious and profound line. I now genuinely look forward to the next book I read because it will not be a race or even a fun adventure—it will be an act of labor and love that will lead me to the pinnacle of beauty. A good reader may be rewarded with countless intricate plots and amazing characters, but a patient reader will discover the few hidden gems that are worth more than all of the gold trophies in the world.
Even though I have only recently started on this path, I know it will lead me to my heart’s desire, which is to read the most intoxicating stories, compelling characters and haunting quotes. The pursuit of words is the reason we are all here. We read not to see the bland words, “I love you,” we read to encounter the tantalizing words, “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Words create worlds and people, and words evoke feelings, memories and thoughts that we would have never found on our own. Words bring us life, yet words will also be the death of us.
