Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Magic of Reading

"It is important," the man in the grey suit interrupts. "someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find the treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it..."(381)

The above quote was taken from a wonderful book I just finished that is truly a gem. The Night Circus is a book that not only is unique and creative, but magical and mysterious. I am an avid reader. I can always be found with a book on my nightstand and with any free time available most likely I will be curled up with a book. I gravitate more towards the fantasy genre, but I do also have a love for historical fiction, dystopian, romance, and some science fiction.

In our world today I have noticed many of my friends and colleagues who do not read, or if they do it is very little. They spend any extra time at night watching various reality shows or dramas on TV. While I do applaud the writing of some TV shows, a large majority of them are silly, stupid, and quite frankly not worth people's time.  TV does not allow an environment for the imagination to grow and develop.

Reading is like a mini-vacation. For an hour or two you can be in a different land fighting a dragon, or a century in the past attending a fancy ball, or perhaps a land in the future fighting for control over an oppressive government. You can be someone else doing things you would never do in your everyday life. Reading gives you endless possibilities.

In books magic is real and tangible. In this latest book I read the author gives you the hint that perhaps magic is real and it is only because we choose not to see it that we believe it is not. This is what I love about reading. To me a story is magical. I am transformed into the character I am reading about and I can witness things that my everyday life would never allow me to see.

For those that know me one of my favorite things is to walk into a book store. The second I enter I am greeted with the smell of new books and in some stores fresh brewed coffee. I love to walk down the isles touching glossy covers and opening books to fresh unread pages. I love turning those pages and scanning the words wondering what exciting new story is contained between the front and back covers. What new world has yet to be explored and new foes to be vanquished. Then after looking at all the new books I want to read I locate the books I have read before. Old friends that I have gone back to year after year. The books where I have memorized entire paragraphs and have favorite chapters that I re-read when I don't have the time to read the entire story. It's a magical experience for me and one that I never tire of.

Thanks to this modern world of technology books are even more available. We have many electronic devices that can hold an entire library. I myself own a Kindle. I love it and take it with me when ever I am traveling. However there is something to be said about the actual physical turning of a page. Many of my favorite books I own in the print form. These books I treasure. They remind me of that first magical time I read that story.

More then anything I want people to know about this world of reading! I want them to feel the wonder and magic that a book can bring! So for one night don't turn on the TV and watch whatever silly show that is on. Instead pick up a book and see what story is contained within the pages. You may be surprised by what you discover! If you need a suggestion of what to read, try The Night Circus. I promise you won't be disappointed!