My mother keeps asking me why I read all day. So after possibly five years of being constantly asked this very same question (sometimes even at 3 a.m.) I decided to give an answer.
A book is one of the most phenomenal objects I've come across during my stay on planet earth. Like people have said, "Through a book, you can get lost in so many lives and places and things; without having to move from your place'.
For me, books are like an escape. Like one of those magical transportation devices that take you from one place to another in seconds. It pulls me out of reality and brings me into a world created by the author and brought to life with imagination.
During the most often occasions when I'm extremely engrossed in a book; even if my surroundings were to catch fire, I probably wouldn't notice. It's amazing how our minds have the capability to connect with the characters; how we come to love the people we've never met or seen, but only read about.
The joy in reading a new book is something different; the smell, the stiff pages, the sounds of them turning.. And as the story unfolds in our mind's eye; we become a part of a new world, reliving another person's life and feeling all their emotions; adding more to our list of 'favourite quotes', and appreciating our newly discovered author. And then there's the nostalgia of rereading your favourite book with those worn out pages, folded corners, underlined parts; shaking our head at a character who inevitably becomes our best friend, rejoicing at the number of memories that come back and still reading every word like we were for the first time.
Have you truly felt the moments a reader experiences? Like, when you are so into the book that you laugh out loud at something, and get those weird stares from people around? When your favorite character dies and you can't stop the tears? When you can't erase the disappointment at how differently it could've ended? The irritation when things don't go like you want them to? When you can't wipe out that stupid smile after that happy ending?
So when people ask me how I get lost into just some book, I literally have to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying, "How can you NOT?"
-Nancy Norris
A book is one of the most phenomenal objects I've come across during my stay on planet earth. Like people have said, "Through a book, you can get lost in so many lives and places and things; without having to move from your place'.
For me, books are like an escape. Like one of those magical transportation devices that take you from one place to another in seconds. It pulls me out of reality and brings me into a world created by the author and brought to life with imagination.
During the most often occasions when I'm extremely engrossed in a book; even if my surroundings were to catch fire, I probably wouldn't notice. It's amazing how our minds have the capability to connect with the characters; how we come to love the people we've never met or seen, but only read about.
The joy in reading a new book is something different; the smell, the stiff pages, the sounds of them turning.. And as the story unfolds in our mind's eye; we become a part of a new world, reliving another person's life and feeling all their emotions; adding more to our list of 'favourite quotes', and appreciating our newly discovered author. And then there's the nostalgia of rereading your favourite book with those worn out pages, folded corners, underlined parts; shaking our head at a character who inevitably becomes our best friend, rejoicing at the number of memories that come back and still reading every word like we were for the first time.
Have you truly felt the moments a reader experiences? Like, when you are so into the book that you laugh out loud at something, and get those weird stares from people around? When your favorite character dies and you can't stop the tears? When you can't erase the disappointment at how differently it could've ended? The irritation when things don't go like you want them to? When you can't wipe out that stupid smile after that happy ending?
So when people ask me how I get lost into just some book, I literally have to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying, "How can you NOT?"
-Nancy Norris