I can tell you one thing I always say when this sort of question (inevitably) comes up, is that "my type" has to value reading. I realize that not all readers are created equal. Some people are more voracious readers than others, and just like anything, some people love it more than others. I don't think everyone needs to read all of the time or even adore books, literature, writing, and all the rest of it as much as I do. It's not like I need a clone. (Although if the last book you read was an assignment from high school we might have an issue...) The point is, that I feel certain that I need someone who I can have intelligent discussions with - extra points if those discussions are at times about books - and I absolutely have to have someone in my life who will, at the very least, listen to me go on about good writing, great stories, excellent books. You know, kind of like you guys who tune into my blog do.
(Thank you for that.)
Over the years I've given an awful lot of thought to why I adore books as much as I do, why I have such a hard time comprehending that not everyone looks to reading as the joyous past time that I find it to be, and just what is so darn special about all of these words put to page. This morning while on my way into work, I was reading Anne Lamont's Bird by Bird, and stumbled upon the passage below. She managed to capture so much of what I adore about books, why I've always loved books, and why I hope to continue reading for all of my
"Because for some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on Earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die. They are full of all the things that you don't get in real life -wonderful, lyrical language for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of a day but we rarely let ourselves stop and really pay attention. An author makes you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift. My gratitude for good writing is unbounded; I'm grateful for it the way I'm grateful for the ocean."
3 comments:
Yes. This. One hundred-thousand percent. :)
xox
I feel exactly the same way! For the most part, I wouldn't care if we had differing interests, but I just can't relate to people who don't like to read.
I aspired to have children who loved to read...mainly because I didn't. I had scary harsh reading teachers early in school. Terrified me. But funny that I remember the gentle ones who read to us after lunch with our little heads resting on our desks. My favorite was 4th grade when Mrs. Nelson read Charlotte's Web! I am a good reader; don't get me wrong. But the LOVE of books escaped me. We had few "fun" books in our house, probably due to the cost. But we had a good local library that was AIR CONDITIONED. If not for the books, at least one went to the library to cool off. And we always participated in the summer reading program where one had to read 25 books for a certificate. I am so glad you grasped the love of reading not just because of my efforts, but those of your father, your grandmother, your Aunt Frances and Aunt Kin. You would sit for HOURS listening to your books on tape when you were little. And YES, I still have them! Now GO READ SOMETHING!
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