There are plenty of times when I really don’t feel like reading. I know that’s an odd way of starting a post about authors, but it’s true. I have to admit that I struggle to read a lot of books each year. I always have a list of books that I want to get through, fiction and non-fiction, but I never seem to get through the list. It’s actually one of the reasons I started this blog. I wanted to push myself to read more.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy reading. I love books; I have since I was a little girl. But sometimes I find it hard to start. For me, reading can be a lot of work. I have always been a painfully slow reader, even as a child. I remember being in class and being assigned to read a handout in a small group. My classmates would be ready to turn the page while I was still only halfway done with it. I’ve pushed myself to read faster over the years, but I am still behind most avid readers my age.
On top of that, my attention span tends to be embarrassingly short (which I am working on). I get restless sitting still for long periods of time. And I often find myself rereading the same sentence three or four times before it registers with me. It just takes me longer to process information sometimes, and occasionally, when my brain is feeling especially helpful, it causes me to misread words entirely. I’m sure all this has made me sound like an adult toddler, but it is what it is.
So I often come to a new book with hesitation. I know that once I get into it I’ll be having a great time and I won’t want to put it down, but I sometimes don’t want to make the effort of pushing past the frustration of my own issues in order to get there.
But there’s always someone alongside me to help me out: the author. It’s like we’re two adventurers on a road trip. I’m the neurotic one who’s dreading it, not knowing where we are really going or how we are going to get there. I’m already regretting the long hours spent in the car and we haven’t even gotten in it yet. But the author is steady, having picked out a fabulous destination and planned the travel well. They invite me along, promising that as long as I engage, they’ll drive and it will be worth it. Often the opening pages are slow, just getting us out on the road, and my easily distractable mind wanders. But the author is patient with me, reminding me that this road is leading somewhere exciting.
Along the road, the author invites some interesting people. Some I like and some I don’t, but they ask me to give them all a chance, hinting that they’ll all add something to our journey. I gravitate toward one new friend in particular, and the author smiles knowingly.
The road they have chosen is at times winding and at times bumpy, and it takes us through many different terrains. I’m laughing at times, and crying at times, and everything in between as I see how the trip moves my fellow passengers, and that moves me. Some pages in, I’m struck by a beautiful location the author has described or a neat roadside attraction. I want to stop the car for a bit. That’s okay. The author thought I would like it and they are happy to have us stay here a while so I can enjoy it. Other times I’ve missed something my guide has driven past, and I need us to backtrack. They oblige me, and we do so until I’m back on board, usually with a fuller investment in the journey.
I’m a slow reader, and life gets in the way, but my literary guide kindly reassures me that it’s okay to put the book down. Whenever I’m ready, we’ll get back on the road. And we do, and I’m back to laughing, and crying, and staring in shock and wonder. And without my realizing it, we’ve arrived at our destination, and I’m saying goodbye to the author and my newfound friends and wishing the journey wasn’t over.
No matter how many times I question if I want to start a new book, the author always makes it worth it.
Do you have a favorite author? Who makes picking up a book worth it for you? Let me know in the comments and subscribe to my blog to get notified every time a new review or post gets published.
Thank you to Erin Alexis Randolph for subscribing! You are an adventurer! Happy literary trails!
Write to you guys soon! – Cozie
Email: chat@nookandbook.club
Twitter: @TheNookAndBook
Instagram: @Nook.And.Book
When it comes to fiction, I don’t really have a favorite author, but I do have a favorite genre, which is murder mysteries. But when it comes to non-fiction, hands down it’s John Maxwell.
Yes! John C. Maxwell is amazing. I love his books!