#6 all about books

If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all. – Oscar Wilde

Hello my lovelies,

So I thought I’d change it up this week and delve into my attitude of books. I go through multiple periods, one where I devour book after book to nothing, where I can only read fiction or nonfiction in one go. This may be a bit of a quick read (pun intended).

History of my love of books

My love of reading started as soon as I could learn to read. Gosh, yes. Some of my favourite memories are of reading. All those worlds! It has always been there, the thirst for words. The thirst for knowledge. Every book has always been an experience.

I eventually, as a young teenager, developed a cherishing of classics, notably Brontë, even now I feel like I have so much to discover.

I think I just loved how different the expressions were when I was young. Every book taught me something. I remember reading Enid Blyton and loving the essence of friendship.

I learned words that could better help me understand myself and my world.

Why I adore them to this day

Books are everything for me. Some of my most treasured assets. There is just something so satisfying about finding my flow and getting lost into the art of someone else’s world. I find so much bliss in a good book. I cannot live without reading. I find it an honour to be able to read and be able to buy these books.

Often when I do a gratitude list, I write down that I’m grateful for my education to be able to read. There are still so many who can’t. By having the freedom to choose books, it helps me find a sense a peace. Many of my treasured books can be seen as a piece of resistance or activism, much in the case of Elif Shafak.

Yes, I consider it freedom of expression. That is why I love them.

When it comes to nonfiction, I think it’s still art, to collect a history is no easy task. I appreciate the knowledge and expertise needed to delve into such complex topics. There is so much variety too!

Favourite types

As I briefly mentioned, I first really fell in love classics, Brontë particularly. The poetry was art. The books were fantastic of their time. I just loved the traditional style, I ended up modelling my own poetry as classical style when I eventually got into writing.

However, as expected over time, I have expanded my horizons. I now seem to like those featuring other cultures and other times. I feel I have so much to learn, I travel to somewhere not just another fictional world, but a real one.

It can be a form of escapism for me sometimes, but I really love books that make me think, ponder and consider. I love books that try to find the essence of life, of meaning, of hope, of difficulty.

I will admit, some that seem like that I don’t always finish because they weren’t what I expected. I will say, I have a particular taste. I find I can’t say I prefer one genre over another.

When it comes to nonfiction, I adore anything about history, politics, philosophy, and self-help. I remember when I initially worked on my wellness I read tens of books in self-help. Some worked and some didn’t. But they helped me to see how I could make certain techniques work in my life, like routines and journalling more.

Current favourites

Book: There are rivers in the sky

Author: Brontë sisters and Elif Shafak

Poet: Emily Brontë

Poem: To imagination

On the TBR (to be read) list

The blanket cats – Kiyoshi Shigematsu
Dream count – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Before we forget kindness – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong bookshop – Hwang Bo-Reum
Miss Kim Knows – Cho Nam-Joo

Where I store them

I used to just keep them on my shelf, but as I have a curious-natured toddler nephew, I now some gifted hamper baskets that have locks to store them! Plus they look lovely!

I love to protect my books. As an addition, my partner gifted me a stamp/seal with my name in English, and a chosen name from my step-grandfather in the correct characters. I use this to stamp every book. Who knows, maybe one day someone will have one of my books and will know someone else loved it and cherished it.

Overall, books can foster empathy and compassion, not just knowledge, they can bring a sense of community, of power. They truly are art, and have so much power to be able to change the world. One reader at a time.