Just as I had written about how the words of someone can touch you, even if millennia separate you and the writer, I stumbled onto this great quote by carl sagan:
“One glance at a book, and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1000 years. To read is to voyage through time.”
I have always loved big books. I read fast, and a thin book feels like a snack. I want proper literary dinner!
When we travel, and if there is leisure time to be expected, I buy the biggest (preferably historical) novel I can find. A paperback, of course. I remember once buying a 900-page novel before our trip to Greece. I was so happy to have found a book that would last the whole week. I read it in three days…
Because of my studies I have not had much time to read novels for five years, except in the summer. So now a book I read in three days may last two months. Often the only free moment I’ve had for reading, is when I eat after coming home.
My parents never said I should not read at the table. That’s probably because they read too. As did my brother. So I learned the habit of giving nutrition to both my body and mind simultaneously. And I still do.
A white knitted kitty in front of a row of Egyptology books (I think she was looking at the “The Animal World of the Pharaohs”…
Books have always been my friends. On the pages of a good book I can travel to distant realms and times, experience deep emotions, learn about amazing things. They open the world in a way you cannot compare with anything else. You can travel with the written word at your own pace, return to what you have read, peek into the future.
The words of a book tell about the times and values of its author, and in reading them you can feel sudden connection to someone – even if they lived centuries ago. When I have been studying ancient Egyptian literature, I have had these fleeting glimpses of the ancient human mind.
And what have I found? The same humanness we all share; the seeking of love, friendship and safety. The yearning for acceptance, adventure, connecting with the divine. Like an unknown scribe, who lived millenia ago, extended their hand through times to me in their written word. When I connect to them by reading their words, I realize our essence has remained the same.
This use of the written word is the epitome of humanness to me. I would love everyone in this world to know how to read, so they could own the world in a way an illiterate person never can. It is a marvel to be able to read and write, and to share one’s thoughts using these skills. To me this is the most valuable of all the riches of the world.
A big shelf full of books at the bookstore…
At the Bookstore
Oh what a wonderful day… I had a free day, and I got to spend two hours at the biggest book store around. I went through all the novels and history books and didn’t leave without buying… I actually climbed a ladder to reach an upper shelf to get a book.
I admit one of my dreams is to live in a house where I could own a huge library – as it is, I have bookshelves stacked with books in two rows, and even the space above the books has books squeezed into it.
I am sure all you bookaholics know what I mean… Thankfully I have an understanding husband who is used to seeing books on every horizontal plane…
In front of a Luxor sphinx.
I loved reading and books ever since I learned to read on my own as a child. I remember sitting on the floor of the kindergarten, with a book about animals open on my lap. I tried to repeat the letters as well as I could remember them. On our way back home that day I looked out of the window of the bus, pointed at the sign of a local bank, and told my mother what it said. And that is how I learned to read.
The local library (and a library bus before that) became my second home. I tottered home carrying such high piles of books I could not see over them. I read a book a day (they were children’s books but still). Whenever we visited anywhere, I immediately navigated to the bookshelf and started searching for something to read. Usually I found a book I liked, and withdrew into some cozy corner with my treasure.
I also started writing stories as soon as I learned to write. And illustrated them as well – I started drawing and painting when I was three. These days I am also an artist.
Here I will write about books, reading, and maybe find tips for writers as well. I wish to connect with people who know nothing better than a good book.
Leena Maria 