I can read again!!

It is a bit of a joke amongst my friends that I don't read anymore. It's true.

Back in the day, I was always reading some novel. All kinds of books. I even had a job in college at the library where I read even more books. I just loved to read from a young age. I remember trying to read everything by Roald Dahl in the 3rd grade. I was reading Tolkien in 5th grade. I was always at the library looking for some new interesting book. I was on a quest at one point to read every book that won the Newberry Award. I loved the world that opened up to you in books. I used to write down quotes from books on scraps of paper, on my notebooks or in old journals. At one point, I thought I was going to be a writer when I grew up.

The past few years though, I just stopped reading for fun. I was reading for school. I was reading for work. I was writing user manuals for work and papers for school. I was reading trade magazines and books on writing in java script. Next I was reading books on anatomy and microbiology. Next thing I know, I am with friends talking about all the books they are reading and the movies coming out based on these books and I said outloud, "I am illiterate. I don't read anymore." It got a few laughs and it came to be my thing with my friends. Two years ago, one of my friends loaned me "The Da Vinci Code" ( they were thinking it might get me on track to read again) and I managed to read that. It was a fast, easy read. It was a weak, lackluster writing style, but the story was fast paced and interesting so I finished, but nothing since then.

Last week on a whim I picked up two novels at the library. I have been introducing my kid to the fun of going to the library, browsing through books and bringing one home. I was beginning to enjoy children's books. There are so many interesting stories and you can read them in 5 minutes. My husband came this time so I had a few extra minutes to browse by myself. I picked up, "The five people you meet in heaven" by Mitch Albom. I finished it last night! I enjoyed the imagery. I closed my eyes once in awhile to savor a few passages. It was wonderful.

The book made me happy in two ways. One, it showed me reading is fun again. A book could touch you and take you places. Two, it presented some wonderful thoughts about life and death. One of my favorite passages from the book is: "Lost love is still love . . . It takes a different form, that's all . . . Memory becomes your partner. You nuture it. You hold it. You dance with it. Life has to end. Love doesn't."

I immediately picked up my next little fun read from the library called, "Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killer" by JT Petty. Already loving it. I can see the places the book describes and feel the textures. I am hooked.

I can read again!!!