Books surround me. My house is full of them. They are like some sort of catalogue of my life, in that they can serve as a record of what I was interested in at any given point in time. I also used to love to write poetry; I believe that Shakespeare is the most excellent writer of all time. I also think that I have a novel in me (I will leave that talk for later, but I know I will write that book one day! I believe!). I do love to craft a beautiful string of words. And although I don’t have a lot of time on my hands, I do like to read.

When I pause to think about it, it is kind of amazing that I can start with one book or author, which inspires me to read another book or author. I travel through all of these ideas, topics and literary styles on and on and on without having a single thought of a stopping place. But then, what reason is there to stop?

Readers can agree with me that literature has the power to provoke, assure, challenge, arouse, disturb and astound. These are the emotions and experiences that make life here worthwhile. Whoever said that guys with glasses and a bow-tie are book nerds? It is no exaggeration that in my own long life I have never once seen a guy with glasses and a bow-tie walking down the street holding a book. Movies portray that all the time and I must say this is an annoying and unfair stereotype. We read and write because we like to. That’s all.

It doesn’t mean we’re meek, or goofy, or clueless. Most of the dear readers would agree with me on this. We never read to escape from reality. Yeah, try to read Joseph Conrad (The Heart of Darkness) to escape from reality. Good luck with that. We are trying to get real/ truth. A lifetime will pass by us in ten seconds if we do not take a pause sometimes, and think, reflect, challenge our ideas, try out alternate angles, learn some things we did not know.

It is no secret, to everyone close to me, that the written word has always been important to me. While I cannot remember a time when I was not literate, I can remember walking down the grocery aisle with my mom, calling out the names of everything within reach of my greedy mind’s eye. I was excited to read then and now.

So, no matter how readers are portrayed in the unremarkable movies that come and go these days, we’ll always be part of something more meaningful and more lasting. I will always have my face in a book. And now look at me. King Awesome. ~ahem

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

~ Dr Seuss.

To be continued…