Books! My absolute first love!
Books! The first thing that thought me that I could belong!
Books! My hideout, my strength, my friend!
Books! Oh how you gave me wings!
When you ask my close friends to describe me, they'll tell you about my love for books and of course my writing. I'm the official Irregular Bookworm. Irregular because I don't collect as much as I would love to. You want to sneak into my heart? Give me books. My love for good books knows no bounds. This is what my reading app looks like.
Funnily enough, I never paid much attention to books till I met one friend when I was thirteen. I saw her in class reading a small novel without a cover page. I asked to borrow. She obliged. That was how I got initiated. I got completely lost. I fell in love. The name of the book was The Bride in Blue by Miranda Lee. I will never forget. That's was where my love for Harlequin, Mills & Boons and Silhouette started.
Over the years I've read so many books than I could count. I used to write down their names and the names of the authors. I stopped writing when I turned 17. The number was around 300 at the time. And they were all novels. I loved novels so much when I was a teenager. I only started paying attention to other books when I became older. With books, you can never do wrong.
When I saw the Hive Book Club Questions for this week, I said to myself, why not? I'm barely halfway through writing this but I already know I'd have a lot of fun.
So, let's go!
What is Your Favorite Time or Place to Read?
I don't have a favourite time or place. I read at night. I also read during the day. I can stay up all night reading. Most of my night readings, I did when I was younger. My friends and I would exchange books at school and the rule was always; return it the next day. I would get home as fast as possible, throw my uniform in the washer, eat, update my notes, do my homework and get down to reading. Sometimes I would read till 2-3am. And oh, the novel was usually hidden inside a bigger school book so that when my mum comes to check, she would think I'm studying. Ha! Sometimes I think she knew but just left me. I mean, she opened her box of books one time and told me to select. So there.
What Makes You Enjoy a Book?
I really do no have a straight answer to this. Maybe prose and characterisation. I remember that I didn't pay much attention to that during my teenage years. I just read and read. Some I enjoyed, some I didn't. Right now –prose, characterisation and plot does it for me. I've found out that fast paced intrigues are existing and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but I prefer and cherish a beautiful prose more. I'll share some lines from one of my favourite books, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
Take a look;
The night is mine, my own time, to do with as I will, as long as I am quiet. As long as I don't move. As long as I lie still. The difference between lie and lay. Lay is always passive. Even men used to say, I'd like to get laid. Though sometimes they said, I'd like to lay her. All this is pure speculation. I don't really know what men used to say. I had only their words for it.
I lie, then, inside the room, under the plaster eye in the ceiling, behind the white curtains, between the sheets, neatly as they, and step sideways out of my own time. Out of time. Though this is time, nor am I out of it.
I did a review of it few years back. You can read it HERE if you wish. Margaret made me so weak with this book. I do need to go back to writing reviews. I've missed it.
Do You Like to Read Outdoors, Before Bed or on The Bus on Your Way to Work?
Before bed and during the day does it for me. I've tried reading on a bus and I just couldn't. I love absolute quietness when I read. But since outdoor is anywhere that isn't inside the house, I think I might enjoy reading in the garden or near the ocean. I haven't tried it yet because, 1. I don't have a garden. 2. Not close to the ocean. Maybe when I finally buy a house with the view of the ocean and a little garden behind, I'd tell you what reading there feels like.
Do You Focus on Character Development, Thoughtful Messages, or the Level of Intrigue a Plot Generates in You?
Oh yes! I pay attention to all three. Why am I reading in the first place? Another of my favourite book, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie gave me this. I couldn't get over the main character. Her growth and thinking process was awesome. You could literally feel the shift as she got older.
I love a book with a plot I can relate to. This isn't to say that I don't read books that are out of my comfort zone, but I love that familiarity. Thoughtful messages are awesome as well. Some paragraphs can teach you and make you question a lot of things in your life. Good prose, good characterisation, good plot – that's me!
