I recently had a conversation with a friend about how many books we take on holiday. I said that I only take two paperbacks, and then I would normally buy another book while I’m on holiday if I needed to. They replied that they take as many as they like because they have a Kindle. This led to an interesting discussion, as my friend was perplexed as to why I didn’t have a Kindle as I read so many books.
It led me to a conclusion as to why I didn’t have one, I realised that the feeling, weight, smell and physicality of holding a book were all part of my ritual when reading. Turning the page and putting in a bookmark also added to the comfort of reading a book.
The excitement of finding a new book, looking at the illustration, blurb and font are also important to me. A digital book holder wasn’t going to replicate that, even if it was going to offer me an endless library. (I have nothing against Kindles but they just aren’t for me).
Little did I know that this discussion would also make me feel reflective and lead me to a deep dive into my reading journey.
"A book is a dream that you hold in your hand."
Neil Gaiman
My joy of reading and being read to started when I was a young child. Books played an important part in my childhood as they connected me to fantastical worlds and widened my imagination. Stories were read to me by various family members and this also included children’s books from their childhood. Classics were read to me such as The Faraway Tree, Dear Teddy Robinson, The Tale of Peter Rabbit (I once had the whole collection in two beautifully illustrated cases, but sadly they are now long gone), Winnie-The-Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Old Bear Stories, The Adventures of Mog, Ridiculous! and The Golden Snowflake.
To be honest, this list is only scratching the surface of the many wonderful books I encountered throughout my childhood.
It fuelled my passion for reading and in 1995 my world changed forever when I received The Complete Adventures of Charlie and Mr Willy Wonka, it included both tales, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Charlie and The Great Glass Elevator.
The wonderful world of Wonka, Charlie and the beautiful illustrations by Quentin Blake rocked my world. I remember writing a book report on it when I was in junior school, and feeling so proud when I shared it with my classmates.
It then led me to read many more of Roald Dahl’s books, I remember especially liking Danny The Champion of the World, Esio Trot and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.
But then something happened, I grew up and those tricky teenage years changed my view on books and my reading habits. I’d reached a time where books took a back seat in my life, although I still liked to read when I reached senior school (high school) my passion had waned. I distinctly remember my book reading tended to waver towards what was the ‘in vogue’ book at the time. Although I did briefly belong to the school library book club, I don’t remember being a very dutiful member. I think I became too self-aware and it was deemed ‘uncool’ to be a part of this group so I slowly faded away from it. I remember having lots of Jacqueline Wilson books at this time and The Princess Diaries but they didn’t have a hold over me or my attention like earlier books did.
Throughout my 20’s I gravitated towards non-fiction books, coffee table books about Hollywood and biographies of people I found interesting. Any fiction books that I had were solely based in the rom-com genre and I think this was influenced by the films I watched at the time. I always used to get a book at Easter and Christmas as my Auntie always insisted on getting us one, which I am grateful for today as it kept my nose in a book. But then life happened and books became things on the outer sphere of it.
Things began to change when I reached my 30s. I became more confident in who I was and I was returning to my true self and passions. This became particularly evident the year I turned from 33 to 34. I started the year reading two books and from that point on I read practically two books a month, both fiction and non-fiction. It was thrilling, I was actively seeking out books to buy and enjoying thumbing through them in my local bookstore puzzling out what to buy next. I tried to work out what changed and then I realised that a paragraph in Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert held the answer.
Ever since I took back my power my life became creatively amplified and my desire to read took off like a shooting star. I was also inspired by pieces of writing and book recommendations I was reading on Substack (shout out of appreciation to Emma Gannon and Sian Clifford) along with creating Bloom and Grow and going on a two week acting course, my passion for reading reignited. I had finally come full circle, unlocking and setting free the devoted reader I always was, revelling in the complete bliss of being lost in a book.
I now have a growing stack of books on my bedroom floor, as I currently don’t have any more room on my bookshelves. I fully intend for the stack to reach beyond the ceiling and into the stars.
Do you have a favourite book? Is there a book that has stayed with you from your childhood? How does reading a book make you feel? Is there a book you would recommend?