The Joy of Reading

My husband needed to go to the local bookshop today to pick-up a book for his studies. I thought it would be a great opportunity to have a wander around too, just in case something caught my eye.

Lo and behold, just as we were about to leave, the cover of a book jumped out at me. It was a book that had been recommended by one of my friends a few months back, and after having read the online reviews, I have been wanting to acquire it for some time. I don't know why I never got around to picking it up, but it had completely slipped my mind - until today.

It was as if I found a long lost friend. I was so excited to hold it in my hands and almost sprinted to the checkout to buy it.

I couldn't wait to start reading it, and as anti-social as it must have seemed, I even flicked open the first few pages over lunch at the food court.

I think I might even be sacrificing my Sunday afternoon nap to be able to spend a few precious moments with the new read. The laundry might also have to take a backseat today...

What is it about the promise of a good story? The unfolding of the characters and the storyline as you turn each page is magical. When the story plays out in your head like the movie you would have filmed it is sometimes uncomprehensible that you have not actually "seen" it. It is just all so real.

I can still recall a story I read when I was in primary school. I vividly remember the local library my mum took us to for our weekly borrowings. If we go there today - provided they haven't updated the interior layout in 20 years - I can walk you straight to the shelf where one of my favourite books would be. It was a detective series and one of the books ended with a letter from a servant of the detective. It was so poignantly written that I still laugh out loud today just thinking of it.

As online reading on Kindle, iPad and all sorts of other electronic devices take off, I wonder how long we will still have the joy of picking up a book and turning the yellowing pages. Personally, I hope books never go out of fashion.

Do you have a favourite book that you can recite parts of, even though it has been ages since you read it?