Confessions of a Bookaholic

Pressures for the world pound on me every day, trying to force me to grow up become an adult, and focus on graduating college. But this summer I finally took a step back from my coffee and chaos and I thought ‘What’s the rush? Why am I in such a hurry to grow up?’

So how do I slow down? How do I stop the subliminal force from doing its job?

Well, that’s been a question that I’ve been thinking about all summer. What could I do that would really be enjoying, calming, all while allowing me to delay growing up … even if it were for only 15 minutes a day.

I could meditate, I thought. Yeah, that’s calming and peaceful. I set an alarm for 15 minutes, turned on some classical music and closed my eyes. Torture soon ensued; my back ached from sitting upright in those meditation poses you always see in movies. So I lay down and tried again. I felt my muscles relax. I let the music sweep over my body and cleanse my stress. Yes, it had worked, until I opened my eyes and saw that I had only been “meditating” for three minutes. “What? That’s it!” ugh, and the relaxation was swept away with that one thought.

So I put off trying to find something relaxing. I hadn’t given it more thought until I was leaving my roommate Zoe’s birthday party. Before saying good-bye Adam, my other roommate Laurel’s boyfriend, and I started talking about the books we were reading., He a former English major and I, an English minor, got totally lost in conversation. As I grabbed my purse to leave Adam asked, “Really quick, if you had to pick, what would be your three favorite books of all time?”

I answered with the first three books that came to my head. But days later, I still found myself haunted by his question. No, what really were my favorite books? Could I choose one? Or Two?

No, I can’t. I love books too much. If I start making a list of books that have effected me personally or touched a special place in my heart, the list would look more like a library index.

I have always been a bookworm. My mother is an elementary teacher. From an early age she showed me the adventures and friends that await us in the pages of a good book. As I grow older and mature, I have really come to love my mother (and my aunt and her beautiful library) for the pure passion for reading.

Books offered me a safe place to escape the troubles of the world. Books offer me wisdom and understanding. But most of all books have inspired my imagination to run wild. Even at age 21 I continue my childhood dreams of fairy-tale lands and mystical adventures.

So in a roundabout way, Adam’s question inspired me. Reading is relaxing. Why not read for at least 15 minutes everyday. Easy enough, I think I can make time during the school year for that.

But even more so, I decided it was finally time to take charge and start working on one of my life goals. If I’m so inspired by books, then why is it that I’ve never read “The Sound and The Fury” or “Pride and Prejudice” or “A Tale of Two Cities”??? No, it is time I started honoring the classics. So, I’ve complied a list of classic novels … 200 to be exact. The goal? To read them all before I die. If I live for another 50 years, then I that’s only four books a year (a modest goal, I think.)

But, what good is reading a classic novel, or any novel for that matter, if you can’t share it with someone. That’s why I’ve started this blog. May fellow bookworms be inspired to read their way through my list. May bookworms all over the world find as much comfort in these pages as I do.

Stay tuned for my up and coming blog, which will include the list and my rules.