BOOKS!

I love a good book. It’s like a friend—you spend time with it, you laugh with it, you are inspired by it, and you feel sad when it’s gone [aka when the book ends].  One of my life-quests is to collect all of my favorite books.

However, on the budget totem pole, book buying is usually at the bottom these days. The limited library availability in the past two towns we’ve lived in has made reading books I don’t own difficult, to say the least.

So when Rose was born and my Mom brought me a pile of her old, GOOD paperbacks, I was overjoyed! I have been working my way through the stack slowly, savoring each chapter. [I’m also reading them slowly because of limited quiet time, of course, but still—you get the idea].

These are some of my favorite books! I could (and I do) read these ones over and over and over and over and never get tired of them. I like each book or series for a different reason. For example, I only enjoy the Twilight books if 1. It’s Halloween and I want to read about vampires, or 2. I am going crazy with impatience, irritation, etc, and I need an easy, mind-numbing/distracting read. (I find that I identify with those characters best when I feel slightly insane myself).

I like some books because of the language or writing style they use (like the Sammy Keyes series). Other books are good because of the profound, inspiring themes woven into the story (like Les Miserables, A Little Princess, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin). Some books are enjoyable because the author paints such a perfect picture of the TIME period (like Little House books and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society). Other books represent some of my ideals. I like to DEVOUR some books all at once, and nibble at others little by little over time. Some make me feel all warm and cozy inside, and others make me laugh out loud! All of my faves have one thing in common, though: they are  interesting, uplifting stories!

While I am almost always re-reading at least one favorite book, I am also always in search of quality NEW READING MATERIAL! When I’m all caught up on my responsibilities and I have a quiet moment to sit down, it’s comforting to have a good book that allows me to take a break from my cares and enter another world.

and that’s how I feel about my books.