Here is an oldie but a goodie posted way back in 2006!! I still rings true for me, so I thought I would share it with my new audience. Enjoy!
This Is How I See It!!!
As pathetic as this may be to admit, reading… to me… is a guilty pleasure. I am quite convinced that I am the only person in existence than can blow $100 in B&N in 5 minutes; at the $1.00 table. While some of you are subjected to the addictive thrills of smoking or drinking, I turn to a book for comfort.
When most of us were still small children a movie was released called the “Neverending Story”. Now, while I hate this movie it does enforce my exuberant need for daily literature. This “gimmicky” and “trite” movie simply insinuates that it is possible to loose yourself in a book. While the movie takes an indisputably literal turn, I remain a believer in the disappearance of ones true self through the pages of a book.
I love a rather large selection of authors, however the one that intrigues me the most would have to be Jane Austen. Out of all of the books that I have metaphorically leaped into, hers are my most enjoyable. Let me simplify for you. She uses “Real” women as the heroines of her stories. For example, let me introduce you to Ms. Elizabeth Bennett of “Pride and Prejudice.” While Lizzy is a pleasant looking woman, she is not what you would refer to as a Hollywood starlet, (enter Keira Knightly from the 2005 movie adaptation of the book.) She prefers walking to riding which means that she is constantly covered with mud, she tends to speak her mind, regardless of the appropriateness of the time or whom she is talking to. She often judges people by rumors she hears rather than getting to know them, and lives in an era where it is expected for women to be “accomplished” (i.e.: paint, draw, play the piano,) yet feels no need to bother herself with the structure of those talents regardless of how she is perceived. Lizzy is a women of character flaws and stalwart opinions yet she manages to capture your attention the moment she enters into a room.
Now, here is my point (sorry it took so long) I was partaking in a conversation today with a few men that I work with regarding to the fact that their wives like to read Romance novels. To my amassed amusement they actually believe that their wives read these particular kinds of books because they are “lacking” something at home. Let me set the record straight. While in a few cases, (and please let me stress the word few) Yes, some women enjoy a good trash novel because it gets them in the mood, however the vast majority of women like to read romance novels, (or any other type of novel for that reason.) because the women in the book generally posses at least one quality that they can see reflected in themselves whether good or bad, and for most of us it makes us feel better to know that there is someone else out there that has the same mind set at us. We can read a book and see all the problems and possibilities that come along with the quality and when they day is done; we can close the book and go back to our lives.
When I read a book, I get lost in it. I can hear the characters as if I am standing in the same room with them, and I feel the hustle and bustle of the action that is being portrayed. I can live in a time when I did not exists, visit places I will probably never see, get lost in a language that is no longer used, and feel the splendor of beautifully written words as if they were spoken specifically to me.
I have a very normal life. By some standards a boring life, but to me it is heaven. I don’t want to run away with some guy that will loose his charm after the first kiss, or end up in some twisted triangle of deceit and lies. I want to read a book that even in the faintest of ways I as a person can relate to and understand where a character’s reaction is coming from. Then I want to put my book down, tuck my son in bed and kiss my faithful husband goodnight. To me it is simply a mind journey, not a missed opportunity. So, if you see a women reading something you may view as “Trashy” just remember, at the end of the day it is still just a book.
