Why I Read & What I Read

I was not always an avid reader. In fact, most of my life has been spent avoiding reading if I could help it. In elementary school, it was only because of Book-It that I ever finished an entire volume. The only time we ever went to Pizza Hut was when we won free pizza in Book-It. And I loved Pizza Hut. So I would read. I did like a few books. The Little House On The Prairie series was probably my introduction to reading on my own. I also liked the Mandie books and SweetValley Twins (I can hear you saying "Oh, brother"). There was also a Christian series about a girl named Lizzie that was adopted to a big family. I don't recall the title, but I liked it. And of course, around 6th and 7th grade I went through the obligatory Janette Oke phase. But for the most part, reading was limited to Book-It or for book reports. In my free time, Calvin & Hobbes was about as deep as I got.

In high school, I liked reading even less. This probably has to do with the amount of reading I was required to do. (To this day, I will drag my heels any time someone recommends a book or gives me one. I think it's my rebellious streak. I don't want to be "assigned" reading.) I was forced to read things that I had zero interest in, and thus, I associated reading with boredom. Sorry to all my teachers, but I would never read books such as Ivanhoe and Animal Farm if given free will. Uncle Tom's Cabin was okay, and I didn't mind reading sections of classical works from my lit book, but like I said, I only did it because I was being graded.

Fast forward to 2004. Married, expecting my first baby and newly unemployed, I was a delightful combination of if-I-move-I'm-gonna-puke sick and incredibly bored. T.V. is only interesting for so long. So I decided to read a book. It was probably my sister Mandy that recommended some for me. She is really the only person I know that I trust when she tells me "read this book". In any case, I got my hands on a copy of The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers. I didn't know I loved reading till I found Francine Rivers. I didn't know I could learn things from fiction either. That this past time would bring me both relaxing enjoyment and good lessons.

And thus I entered the phase of my life that is characterized by obsessive reading. (Thank you, Francine. I blame my piles of ignored laundry on you.)

That first year of obsession, I wrote down every novel I read. I think I ended up with something like sixty books on the list. I quickly discovered that I am a fiction lover. Non-fiction for me is like eating dry toast for breakfast when I could be having the Grand Slam. However, there wasn't really a specific genre I clung to. I exhausted all of Rivers' books pretty quickly. I read some mysteries and law novels, classics and historical, science fiction and fantasy. There was always a hodge-podge of novels on my bedside table.

You other addicts out there understand that it's hard to define why you love to read. It's like asking a person why they love cake. Do we really need to have reasons? I suppose it's a combination of things for me. Reading is a method of escape from reality. It's a way to focus on one thing for awhile after a long day of being pulled in a dozen directions. No one in the book asks me to get them a snack or change their diaper. I've also found that it's easier for me to study and read the Bible now that I'm used to reading. I can read pretty fast now too. Back when I started it would take me a couple weeks to get through a book I really liked. Now it takes about three days. I also think that reading has helped me understand people better. I am by nature a bit of a recluse. I'm not very outgoing and people-oriented like my husband is. And to be honest, I didn't naturally think the best of people or empathize with them. Now for the most part I do, and I really believe that God used novels to help me grow in that area. At the center of every novel, if it's well written, is a character that needs defining, dissecting and testing in various circumstances. That's what I love most about books--the opportunity to climb into someone's imagination and see things from another perspective. Even if it's a "secular" book, it's important to understand how they think/live/operate too. That doesn't mean I agree with everything I've read, just that I can see the benefits of even those books.

Which brings me to the point that some will criticize. I have read a lot of "controversial" novels. In fact, when there is a big buzz in the Christian world about whether or not something is acceptable, I usually will investigate such things for myself. Two series that are most discussed among Christians are Harry Potter and Twilight. I have heard from some how these books should never be touched by Christians because they deal with magic or vampires. I disagree. While I don't have a problem with people passing up books because they have personal convictions, I do disagree with broad statements that label things (usually things the people doing the labeling have not read for themselves) as morally wrong and judge those who think otherwise. To me, fiction is fiction. As in, "not real". The dictionary definition of fiction is as follows: "An imaginative creation or a pretense that does not represent actuality but has been invented; literary work whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact." Reading about vampires or wizards is not a signal in any way that such things are real or that the reader (or the author) believes in them. The fact that I enjoyed Harry Potter does not mean that I'm a step away from worshiping evil. And yes, Edward was a vampire. So? Literature is overflowing with magical characters, fairies, giants, monsters, wizards, ghosts...you name it. This is because mankind has been given the gift of imagination. It is the privilege of the author to create stories, characters and places, and sometimes making those things fanciful serves to enhance the message you are trying to convey. Just like Dickens used ghosts in A Christmas Carol and Mary Shelley used the monster in Frankenstein, literary devices outside the realm of physical possibility can really drive home the point the author is trying to make. I do believe in having personal standards, of course, in selecting books. But I tend to judge more harshly the point of the novel rather than the literary devices the author used. I'd rather read a well-written secular book that makes a good point using vampires than a fluffy, Christian fiction work that never really deals with anything. (Don't take that the wrong way. There is a lot of Christian fiction that I LOVE.)

Anyway, that was just a little thing that's been coming up a lot lately, it seems. Thought I'd address it. Getting off my soapbox now.

I for one am so glad that God blessed humans with creativity and gave some the talent of writing fiction. My days would be duller and I'd shed some maturity if I didn't have books to read. I know there are many novel-hungry, sleep deprived people out there that agree with me. There's nothing quite like being moved by a book, whether it be to laughter, to tears, or to change. That is something this daughter of an English teacher learned far too late!