Why Read?

I say why not?  I have been a reader since I was very little, always loving a good book. I came to completely fall in love with books however, when I was in the 4th grade. My teacher, Mrs. Werts, introduced our class to many different books and challenged us to read as many as we could that year.  I think it may have been the word 'challenge' that got me so into doing this because I love a good challenge.  I have always been competitive and so I took this challenge head on. I read 80 books that school year!  My favorites were anything by Judy Blume and The Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries series. I would love to re-read them but am afraid that I would find myself grossly disappointed. I don't think I would find that intensity I had for them as an 8 year old little girl now that I am a 38 year old woman.

I love to sit down and become completely engrossed in a good book. One that takes you to exactly the place the author is describing. If the author is particularly good I can actually feel and smell the setting of the book.  Some may think that sounds crazy or delusional and maybe it does, but it is real and better than any movie could possibly be. I love to feel like I am apart of the story no matter the time and era it is set in. I love to escape to a good mystery, love story, or another world altogether!  My family has become very accustomed to me being so absorbed in a book that they know better than to try and talk to me while I am reading.  I love my family but I hate to be pulled from 'my story' and back to reality. Partly because it is usually in harsh tones because I didn't hear them speaking to me the previous five times they tried to get my attention.

I have an obsession with books. I don't like to borrow books from anyone or the library for reading. I would rather purchase them and I prefer the hard back books over paperbacks. They last longer and withstand the reader better. So I love to browse bookstores and buy books.  I took to cleaning out my bookcase today and re-organizing it. It is so soothing to me to just feel my books. My husband helped me today and affectionately calls them my 'other children'. I do feel that attached to them! I should have taken a picture of my shelf before we got started so you can appreciate the picture I will post next.  The majority of the shelves are two deep and I still can't seem to find a whole box of books from our last move. I even know specifically which books are missing in that long lost box too. But as for now I have about five empty shelves that need filling! I was so excited at the space available that my husband audibly groaned and asked when we were going book shopping!  He is so great & extremely patient:) I am very lucky!

So tell me why you read? What euphoria does it bring to you? Or are you like my kids and still haven't found that personal joy it brings, but feel it is more effort than it's worth?