My life with books

When I was born my parents didn't have much money.  Previous to my birth they had moved into their flat with barely a piece of furniture and built it up from there with the odd chair, table, cutlery set from mostly family members.

So after my birth they didn't have a lot of spare cash but they managed to dress me nicely and make sure I had toys and, as I grew to toddler age, they made sure I played outside often and they also made sure I knew how to read.

Reading was always an important part of their lives as children.  My mother, dux of her school, was given books as a prize.  My father was an avid reader.  So as a child, before I was able to read they read to me and as I got a little older they encouraged my reading.  Books were something that didn't need to cost money as they could be obtained at the library.  Book were something that I loved and even before I started school I could read. 

Reading books, fiction mostly, became a way for me to escape from life.  Not that life was bad but it could be boring, even as a child.  Although I loved being outside and in the air playing at times it wasn't possible and books filled in the gap. 

As a child, without the pressures and knowledge that adults have, fiction is a way to expand the mind and the fantasies that the young mind has.  Yes wardrobes can lead to other lands.  Yes chairs can fly and grant wishes.  Yes groups of young friends can solves mysteries that even the local constabulary puzzles over.

Even after finishing a book I would spend a few minutes with my eyes closed, going over the book in my mind.  I recalled the good bits, the bad bits and if the book was good enough I made plans to obtain the next book written by that author.

If ever there was a time when I would discard books it would be in my teenage years as boys, friends, fashion and shopping were supposed to take over my mind.  There probably was a time as a teenager when I read less but I never completely discarded books.  I was always reading something.

A few authors stick in my mind from my teenage years.  Judy Blume, Paula Danziger and Anne M. Martin are three.  Anne M. Martin wrote a series of books about the The Babysitters Club and I still have many of the books. 

However, I would say that during my teenage years I read literally hundreds of books and in those years I found a friend who didn't think reading was stupid but who enjoyed it as much as me and we would spend hours in her room reading, reading, reading.  We read everything from Virginia Andrew to Danielle Steele onto Point Horror, Sweet Valley High and more.  We just read and read and read.

My love of books has never waned.  At times I find it difficult to complete a book within the time that I did as a teen.  In those days I could read one or more in a day.  Now it's sometimes a month but usually never longer.

In my early twenties I read a series of books called Making Out by an author called Katherine Applegate.  There were 28 titles in that series and I read every one more than once.  I still have the collection and I'll never give them away.

In my twenties my tastes changes and I began to prefer reading crime/thriller.  So I read book after book.  I really couldn't estimate how many books I've read in my twenties but it must be in the hundreds without a doubt. 

Reading has got me through some tough times in my twenties and I can't imagine what I might have done if I had not had a book to escape into.  Being able to drop myself into another reality has meant that I haven't dwelt on situations that I might have otherwise. 

Now I don't just read fiction, I read a lot of factual books but if I am perfectly honest it is the fiction that I prefer.  I deal with enough fact every day that when I relax I want to escape to another life, another set of circumstances.  I want to follow characters through their tough times, their enlightening moments, their loves and trials and tribulations.

I can't imagine life without fiction.

Really the best time to curl up with a novel is when the weather is at its worst.  When the rain is crashing down outside and I have no reason to step outside.  That's the time stay in my pyjamas, to fill the kettle, make a cuppa and curl up on my bed or in the arm chair with a fleece blanket and just read and read.  There is something about bad weather that takes away the guilty feeling of not going out.

A summers day is also nice if you can find a quiet spot that isn't in direct sunlight.  A lounger or blanket spread on the grass, a cool drink and peace and quiet. 

In reality just managing to sneak a few minutes here and there to read a chapter or two  is great.  Coming home from work and just relaxing for ten minutes with a cup of tea before beginning the chores.  Waiting for the computer to start-up.  Sitting on the bus or train. 

Any time is a good time to read.

Enjoy your books...