Why Everyone Needs A Book

I bought 12 books last night. I was down to one on my e-reader, and I honestly couldn't sleep until I knew I had more. You can call me impulsive and impatient (I won't take offense because hey, it's true), but buying new books is always exciting to me. When I need a book, I need a book. There's something special about writing and story-telling that can't be shown in a movie or a photograph. Stories have a way of opening our minds to new possibilities and broadening our imaginations. They take us across the stars and into the pits of Hell, let us imagine our own adventures and introduce us to things that just can't be seen visually.

The first book I remember reading and loving was Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm sure a lot of authors will say this was their starter or high on their list. If you ask me to recite the stories word for word, well, I can't really do that, but I've never let go of my copies or the memories they gave me. I remember reading the books and being amazed at everything Tolkien created. I remember desperately wishing that Middle Earth was a real place, somewhere we could go and see real magic and creatures that we simply never see here. You can say that Tolkien was my first inspiration to start writing.

Reading is therapy for me. I've mentioned before that one of my most relaxed moments was when I sat at home with a rum and Coke, some popcorn, and read Rob Thurman's Slashback nonstop for about 8 hours. That's what a good book does for you. It takes you out of reality and gives you space to breathe. Unless it's a fast-paced action novel, which are even better, because you know you can't sleep until you finish the chapter or the book. This was the case for me recently with Pandemic by Scott Sigler. I was so lost in the book that I refused to put it down until the last possible second before going to work. I draw huge inspiration from this, since I'm always blown away by the concepts writers can come up with, or new perspectives they can draw on an overused topic/idea to make it completely new.

A good book keeps you absorbed and interested. You talk about it with your friends and encourage them to give it a look. Or if you're like me, you log onto Goodreads, browse your interests, and jot down all the new books you want to dive into. The only thing that makes me happier than writing is reading, so let me finish by saying this: go to your nearest bookstore or online bookshop, and pick out the first thing that interests you. Sit back, relax with a drink, read it from cover to cover, and tell me it wasn't as good as a massage.

Amy