Reading for me brings alive a whole different universe in my head.
I was discussing with my mother the other night, our completely different tastes in literature and entertainment. I tend to like the thrillers and horrors and whodunits and she prefers light, comedic, feel-good kind of stories. It is her long standing opinion that what you fill your mind with is what you will live; and she has constantly been afraid of my becoming dark and evil because of the kinds of books I insist on reading.
I explained to her that for me, the Stephen King’s and the Dean Koontz’s of this world create worlds vastly different from our own – worlds into which I can escape completely because those worlds cannot possibly exist. Yes, they are written to be completely believable and maybe even possible, but at the end of the day, I know I am reading fiction and that it is not reality. It is a dream world – albeit nightmarish in quality – that I can, at any time, voluntarily step away from.
Personally, this is what recreational [ more ]
Have you ever joined a book club?
Traditionally, book clubs were known as reading groups and they are typically a group of readers who gathered together on a regular basis to read and discuss what they read. During the 18th and 19th centuries they served as an outlet for discussion and debate.
Lately, book clubs have evolved to be something entirely different. The not only foster discussion and debate, but some of them make books available to their membership. What they both have in common, however, is that they serve as a means to expose their membership to all kinds of books.
I tried out the book club at the last (military) duty station that we were assigned to and I applauded them for trying to do what the traditional book clubs did. It was run by the public library and overseen by the head librarian herself. They usually tried to have copies of the current book on hand for those who couldn’t afford to buy. However, they didn’t have the kind of turnout and support that they ultimately wanted. I suppose a [ more ]
So you want to start reading. For whatever reason, you think it’s time you got into this pastime that everybody else seems to enjoy so much. But you don’t know where to start.
What kind of movies and TV shows do you like? That might be the best place to start. If you like comedies, then it’s likely you will prefer humorous books.
Last post I briefly speculated whether the first book influenced genre choice or whether genre choice was something that you were just born with. If you are just starting out on your reading path, then this is something you might be able to tell me about. Tell me what your genre choice is and what made you choose it.
In terms of reading and where to start, I’d say start small in your genre. The benefit storefront book stores like Barnes and Noble is that they allow you to browse and read books off the shelves before you buy.
I would pay a visit to your neighborhood bookstore and check out the shelves – starting with the types of [ more ]