My name's Emily, and I have an addiction to books.
Phew, there it is, they say admitting the problem is the
first step right?
The thing is, this isn't a problem I really want to
overcome. Reading, for me, has always been a major part of my life and one
which I take enormous pleasure in. I have my mum to thank for this; she read to
me while I was growing up and taught me the absolute wonder of stories. I used
to listen to story tapes (that’s right, cassettes, because old school and stuff)
when I was young as I went to sleep (hands up all ‘90’s kids who remember ‘The
Man’ – Raymond Briggs!), I classically graduated from Roald Dahl to Jaqueline
Wilson and Harry Potter and eventually onto a whole host of other things.
There is something unique about immersing yourself in a book, winding up having the characters as friends and being able to recall the events almost like memories. Having that mixed up happy/sad feeling when the book’s over and all in all the experience is something that for me at least, you can’t find replicated through film or television. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a big bang theory marathon as much as the next person, but it’s almost like a different kind of relaxation to reading. Both are downtime, and both have their place in my life but if I spend a couple of hours reading a good book, I can guarantee I will come out feeling better about what I’ve been doing, I feel like I’ve done something vaguely productive and it in a solidly cheesy way sets me up for the rest of my day. When you read books and you get to know other realities that have been set down on the pages for you, when you take the time out to take in the emotions and experiences that characters go through then you find yourself able to think further on topics that you hadn’t considered previously, and have conversations with other people about these topics which is amazing. Books widen our horizons in a permanent fashion that I don’t necessarily find with a film. Obviously this is a very much ‘each to their own’ kind of thing, and by no means an attack on film, like I said, each have their place.
Also (because if you’ve made it to here in the ramble why not go for another paragraph!) there is literally nothing more lovely or exciting to me than a bookshop. Be it a small independent job or Waterstones, each hold a very special atmosphere. It’s almost like you’ve entered this bizarre oasis from the high street you just left, but there is still a buzz in the air. You can feel that people are wandering around, and they’re looking for the next plot to plunge into, and all around are beautiful copies of beautiful stories and you can leave, take that story home with you and add it to your personal collection of stories, and when you choose to, you can dip into it and lose yourself in southern America, a dystopian world or different universe altogether with literally no boundaries to the possibilities despite the fact that you’re still sat on your bed in a teeny seaside town in England. I think that’s a rare thing to find, and one we should perhaps all covet just a little more.
There is something unique about immersing yourself in a book, winding up having the characters as friends and being able to recall the events almost like memories. Having that mixed up happy/sad feeling when the book’s over and all in all the experience is something that for me at least, you can’t find replicated through film or television. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a big bang theory marathon as much as the next person, but it’s almost like a different kind of relaxation to reading. Both are downtime, and both have their place in my life but if I spend a couple of hours reading a good book, I can guarantee I will come out feeling better about what I’ve been doing, I feel like I’ve done something vaguely productive and it in a solidly cheesy way sets me up for the rest of my day. When you read books and you get to know other realities that have been set down on the pages for you, when you take the time out to take in the emotions and experiences that characters go through then you find yourself able to think further on topics that you hadn’t considered previously, and have conversations with other people about these topics which is amazing. Books widen our horizons in a permanent fashion that I don’t necessarily find with a film. Obviously this is a very much ‘each to their own’ kind of thing, and by no means an attack on film, like I said, each have their place.
Also (because if you’ve made it to here in the ramble why not go for another paragraph!) there is literally nothing more lovely or exciting to me than a bookshop. Be it a small independent job or Waterstones, each hold a very special atmosphere. It’s almost like you’ve entered this bizarre oasis from the high street you just left, but there is still a buzz in the air. You can feel that people are wandering around, and they’re looking for the next plot to plunge into, and all around are beautiful copies of beautiful stories and you can leave, take that story home with you and add it to your personal collection of stories, and when you choose to, you can dip into it and lose yourself in southern America, a dystopian world or different universe altogether with literally no boundaries to the possibilities despite the fact that you’re still sat on your bed in a teeny seaside town in England. I think that’s a rare thing to find, and one we should perhaps all covet just a little more.
So, if you find some free time, and you’re wondering what to
do to fill it, may a recommend a book? Any book by the way, I don’t think
Matilda or any chick lit is lesser than War and Peace in some weighs (obviously
not size!), whatever you fancy! Go ahead, the world, and so much more than
that, is your oyster!
