December | 2015 | My Travels

As the year is winding down and wrapping up, I reflect on how I have spent my time in 2015–and the pages stare back at me, full of wonderous, fulfilling things–between the pages of literature (when I am not working or out and about with enjoying life with other humans)

I am blessed with a long history of reading and share in the delights of a family of readers (which, by the way, really is a super benefit when playing Scattegories–literature provides a whopping amount of double and triple pointers for the game). Books can be costly (oh but they never go out of style and require no batteries, chargers, or updating!!) but oh the wonders of family family book swaps, reading pools, thrift shops, used/second-hand book stores, and the list goes on and on and on–and yet, I continue to seek new material to enjoy, why??

Reading is an adventure–on cold days with a cup of coffee, summer evenings with a glass of iced tea, anywhere anytime. I often find I need to ‘snap back to reality’ when in the midst of a good book as I daydream about the plot, eyes glazed over, and pondering what will happen–even whilst I am out with others; alas, those whom know me well are also great readers and are happily willing to discuss books or anything read, regardless the source.

I stumbled upon this article (I am unsure of the author but here is the link from which it was derived as the author really does deserve due credit) upon the importance of reading.

Why is reading important? It is how we discover new things. Books, magazines and even the Internet are great learning tools which require the ability to read and understand what is read. A person who knows how to read can educate themselves in any area of life they are interested in. We live in an age where we overflow with information, but reading is the main way to take advantage of it.

Reading develops the imagination. TV and computer games have their place, but they are more like amusement. Amusement comes from two words “a” [non] and “muse” [think]. Amusement is non-thinking activities. With reading, a person can go anywhere in the world…or even out of it! They can be a king, or an adventurer, or a princess, or… The possibilities are endless. Non-readers never experience these joys to the same extent.

I can not even being to list all of the books I have read over time–some linger still in the recesses of my mind and other, though good, left a smaller, less powerful impact and thus have been left behind. Here is a list of books I personally recomment reading, although is not inclusive, I have read every one (and they are in no particular order.)