Bookish Pleasures

I had forgotten just how wonderful drifting away into another world can be. This afternoon I re-read The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis, book 1 in the Chronicles of Narnia. It was so lovely just to be sucked into a novel, a different world that's just real enough that you feel you possibly could become a part of it. It reminds you of all the joys and realities about life you've forgotten or neglected in the modern world, truths about humanity that are often blurred in the cinema or on television.

I don't know if any of you all felt this way, but when I was younger, I learned much about the ways of the world, interacting with people, romance and love from books I read. Granted, there were often mixed messages, and I might've learned more from "social interaction," but I was an introverted child, excessively affectionate, and often books proved more constant and reliable companions than the children of my neighborhood. Interestingly, the books that I've read and re-read to this day--the ones I remember, the ones that stick with me--are the ones that provide universal truths, truths that have shaped the person I am today.

It's sad that I've neglected pleasure reading for so long.

I think in some ways, books are more fantastical and out of touch with reality than television or movies, but yet they are often more in touch with the human experience, and can be far more influential. Granted, books have existed far longer than motion pictures, and often a great deal more time and effort is poured into a book, even a cheap paperback, than is poured into a television show. And precisely for that reason, books have a more resounding impact on the world. It's been said that a book can change your life. I hope someday to provide someone young and eager to learn with a book that can change theirs. If I can accomplish that, I will have fulfilled one of my greatest desires.

So I'm going to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe later this afternoon, with a cup of tea in hand, wrapped in a warm blanket on the couch, with the smells of Christmas engulfing me, once again getting swept away into Narnia and characters I once wanted to be, and hope one day to share with another young soul.

Let yourself get lost in a book. Make the time for it. You really will feel better. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!