readers rant

Well hello, pretty little readers! As a welcome to my blog, I have decided to form a little, nonsensical rant (that I wrote at midnight, by the way) about my view on books, reading, and life in general.


I have been searching for a creative outlet to all of the ranting and reading that goes on inside of me, and this seems like the perfect centre for all of that. I plan to feature my opinion on new books, old books I enjoy, books-turned-failed-movie rants, and a whole lot more on this blog.

So if you haven't gathered that I'm a book lover already, well, I am. I love books, but I'm very opinionated and picky about my books. I'm a proud member of the local library system which is easy to get too, and I spend hours wandering around aimlessly inside the endless buildings of local libraries, pestering the costumer service clerks and amusing myself with the electronic borrowing system. Oh, books give so much meaning to my life.

Excuse this endless post- it hasn't even begun yet. Hang in there!


So, continuing.

Ah, how I love the book. From the rough texture of the beautiful page as you rub your fingers across it, to it's musty, comforting smell, I strongly believe nothing can ever beat the feel of a book in one’s hand. Of course the dimension of technology and all is amazing and innovative, yet somehow my greatest fear is that all of this new-found greatness will undermine and replace the true meaning of the book. A book is not something that can be experienced on a futuristic device such as an iPad or computer screen, and therefore the Kindle depresses me.

Reading in itself is a whole different story. Reading is what separates humans from animals. Reading the key to a room of intelligence, the intelligence to learn from mistakes, discover new things, which brings me back to the depressing Kindle. Books unlock education, as well as a whole new world of joy and fear, suspense and fantasy, horror and love. I read and write as who I wish I was, as what I wish my life could be. It isn’t a form of denial- it’s a creative form of acceptance and brings with it a whole new outlook on life. What happened to those days when illustrations were the epitome of art, drawn by hand using darling materials you could almost feel? While photography is inspiring, it is also damaging. Photography leaves no room for imagination, it simply exists- that and nothing else. You can edit a picture, of course, but does it really change? An illustration or drawing replays a whole story in one’s head, the plot can be enhanced and continued by the reader and interpreted by each individual in society. My favourite kind of book is the incredible type you can look back to, just to the scenes of specific liking, or to the scenes you were particularly moved or touched by. The computer makes this task nearly impossible- how are you to bookmark or fold a page?

Reading for school is a different matter all together. I wish to read for my pleasure and that alone, not for anyone else’s enjoyment or under anyone else’s instruction. I do not like to analyse or discuss my recent reading in detail with anyone but myself, and I believe my thoughts should be mine and mine alone, to keep me sane rather than raise my grade. I will choose to read what I want when I want- while broadening horizons and experiencing other genres are important, reading is my escape. I use it to get away, and if all of these rules of how many genres and authors I am permitted to read apply, the excitement and enjoyment is drained from the experience. I do not care to read 20 books by the end of the year- just reading the simple 20 books will get me no where. I wish to slow down and appreciate each book on its own, reading and re-reading, processing my thoughts as much or as little as I want, and judging the beautiful or ugly text at my discretion, and in MY time frame.

And to all of you who cannot stand books (gasp!), there is no need to be so verbal. I do not judge you in anyway, sometimes an escape is not needed, or you have other creative (or non creative) outlets of expressing yourself. I personally believe that the English language is beautiful and the words we speak are glorious- the possibilities of synonyms are endless and breath-taking. However, if this is not your cup of tea, I completely understand. But do me a favour- do not announce that ‘reading is stupid’ or any other pathetic statement since reading is important to some. Sometimes the way the book is written can overcome the plot and make the book worth while- for example Harry Potter. The plot and concept of wizards and fantasy bore me (this is only my opinion, which is visibly disagreed with by many) yet the text and vocabulary used on the page are so incredible I choose to look beyond that.

So, to conclude, I love books. Just a little.