Why I Read

I finished reading Eragon and Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony.  Both were enjoyable reads with the latter book costing more than what I would normally pay for an Eoin Colfer book.  But since I couldn’t wait for the cheaper version, I just closed my eyes and handed my money over to the cashier.  Earlier, I tried getting Eldest, the second book on the Inheritance Trilogy (Eragon was the first) but it’s sold out in both the NBS and Powerbooks outlets I went to.  There was still a softbound copy of Eldest last week, but now all that’s left is the hardbound version which is worth more than double the price of the softbound.  I had to use every ounce of self-restraint not to wreak havoc to my already tattered budget.  

I am an obsessive reader; have been as far as I can remember.  I do not see the point in putting down a book until it’s finished.  If I have to stop, it’s only because I need to sleep.  Even work will have to wait for a little bit longer if I’m caught in the throes of a good book.  I can be very creative in avoiding work if I have to.  I am also a voracious reader; classics, bestsellers, business books, magazines, tabloids, can labels; as long as it’s in front of me and it holds my attention; it gets read.

I know there would be folks who would snort at this stuff.  After all, the mind is only as good as the things that you feed it.   But reading to me has never been solely about furthering my knowledge or broadening my horizons.  To a large degree, it’s always been about escapism and enjoyment.  If a book can hold my attention inspite of myself, then it gets read all the way to its back cover; overnight if need be.  If it doesn’t, it gets tossed.

The classics have been easy prey, but I tend to shy away from those that would require re-reading, and there are a lot of those.  I was equal to that task when I was younger (hint, hint), but these days, I tend to go for those that would take over and swallow me whole until reading feels like being one with the characters.  

I loved Alexander Dumas for his sense of justice.  If you’ve watched the movie “The Count of Monte Cristo”, that is nothing compared to the actual book.  I adored Ayn Rand for creating heroic characters out of common people– despite the fact that some of these heroic characters may seem over the top, but I guess that’s the risk she had to take to emphasize her philosophy.  I could go on and on but then I would only be repeating myself.

I was compelled to write this entry after a casual remark by one of my peers as to my choice of reading materials.  I didn’t feel the need to explain myself then because frankly, I couldn’t care less what he thinks.   This is not even about defending myself. This is about justification.  There’s a difference.  I may be splitting hairs here, but there is a distinction.  At least I’d like to think so.