I never really got into books until quarantine happened. Growing up, I remember being forced by teachers (as part of classwork and homework) to read books, especially the ones that weren’t interesting to me at all. This made me incredibly reluctant to try my hand in and enjoy reading. However when COVID happened and the lockdown was imposed, I remember feeling like I wanted to do more with my quarantine life because, being that I couldn’t go outside, my day would essentially feel repetitive and monotonous. I collected some number of used books from my time of accidentally stealing them from schools or buying them off from my friends who wanted to make a quick buck. The first book I read during quarantine was called Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I am so glad to have read that book (even if it was intended for children) because 1.) it succeeded in giving me constant anxiety throughout my reading, and 2.) it opened my eyes to the possibility that reading can be a fun experience. After reading many books (for both academic and personal reasons), I have a strenuous relationship with books such that I am very particular of them; if it is a good book that I myself enjoy, then I will continue reading it even if it keeps me up at night. If it is a book that I don’t necessarily enjoy, my brain tends to wander off as I’m skimming through a bunch of words. In terms of the differences between a book and other sources of information and delight, I am not one to really gatekeep or say what truly makes a book well… a book. The lines between the two are constantly blurring every day and I just like reading all forms of information. I mean heck, I even enjoy reading Wikipedias of celebrities and athletes.
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This is great that you developed a love for reading more books during the lock down. It is possible to read more books once you found one that inspire you the most. I see that you are on the roll with reading which is absolutely a good thing. I believe that once you developed that appetite for reading it will help you to be an avid reader. I use reading as a way of relaxing my mind, its like a therapy. You are on your way to reading even more books once you develop that relationship with books. This means that you will gain more knowledge as you go along.
I think it’s awesome that you used the lockdown to initiate a form of self-improvement! One silver lining from that period is that it allowed people, myself included, to make an introspective assessment of themselves and identify areas in which they can better themselves.
You mentioned that the book you read gave you “constant anxiety”. Do you see that anxiety as a good thing? Did it help keep you engaged in the storyline?
I definitely agree with your sentiment about the enjoyability of a book affecting your ability to read it. Some books I want to read cover to cover as soon as I open it, but other times it’s like pulling teeth to get past every page.
The anxiety that I had during my reading was intended because the book was about a little girl and her family on the run and in hiding from the Nazis. It is truly a good book that really knew how to put the fear of god in me. I kept reading to make sure all of the characters were okay, and thankfully, they all lived a happy ending (spoilers, sorry!).
Elvis, it’s interesting to think here that though you don’t see yourself having a relationship with books prior to the pandemic, you had still acquired a number of used books in your home through various means. How are your habits changing now that we’re back to “normal” so to speak? Are you still finding time to read?
This semester we will try to pin down a definition of books, though as you say, it can be elusive. However, since they center our field of study it will be important to have at least a working definition.