Adventures Await

Gary and I went out for a drive the other night and ended up at Barnes and Noble.  What is it about a book store that draws you in?  Or maybe that's just me.  I love books, always have. When I was a kid my dad went to auctions all the time. Sometimes he would bring home boxes of books that he bought for a little bit of nothing. What a treasure that was! You never knew what you would have to choose from. Our whole family read, Mom, Dad, me, my brothers. And I am delighted to have passed on this love of reading to most of my children and in turn they have passed it on to their children.

That might explain why I have 275 books on my Kindle to read (and just as many if not more that have been read). That's why I quit going to Amazon to see what the daily bargains were. I cannot stop myself! One click here, one click there, click, click, click.
When I'm done and turn my kindle on it downloads 10-20 new books!  

Now you can imagine me in a bookstore. I'm drawn in!  NEW RELEASES  - I'm hooked. I gravitate over to see what's new. One of my favorite writers, a jacket cover, the title. They all draw me. A table of books titles SUMMER BEACH READ -- oh these look good.

Stephen King, Debbie Macomber, Nicholas Sparks, Maeve Binchy, Belva Plain, Nora Roberts, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Karen Kingsbury, Mark Twain -- so many to choose from.  And as you can tell by the names, I read a variety of books. The authors draw me in. What captivating story do they have for me this time? Will Stephen King have me on the edge of my chair (he's my all-time favorite)? 

The jacket covers draw me. Sometimes it's the colors they use that get my attention and pull me in. Sometimes it's the pictures on the covers. Soft and romantic, bold and dynamic. They scream at me - READ ME READ ME!! Subtle yet intoxicating I pick up this book and scan the pages. Then out of the corner of my eye another catches my attention. I read a page here and there. 

Sometimes the title of the book has me looking closer. Will the book live up to the title?  Usually it does.  I want to read about 'The Beach House', or 'The Afternoon Tea', or ' 'Silence at Midnight'. (Let me insert here that I just made up these titles but you get the idea). I'm hooked again.

My Kindle has books of all kinds on it. I will admit that I very seldom pay for a book on my Kindle - I download free ones. And because I am drawn to the 'free' section I have read books that are not my typical choice (science fiction to name one). But I have yet to be disappointed in a book.  I've always told Gary that my idea of a perfect vacation is unlimited books to read and unlimited time to read in. 

And I am one of those people who 'live' my books. They are so real to me. I see every detail in my head. I can be reading about a cold Alaska winter in the middle of summer and I feel the cold of 40 below. A cold snowy pioneer winter keeps me enthralled for a couple of hours. I get up to make some hot tea to warm up and am surprised to see the sun shining.

I hate for my stories to end. I want to know what happens to the people next? I want to live their lives with them. I want to watch their children grow up. I want to see couples grow old together. I want to see them succeed in everything they do. I want to be a part of their lives - they have become part of mine while I read their stories.  

I have been so many places through the books I have read. Some I have actually been to and it's so neat to read about a place you are familiar with. Some I have not been to and most likely will never see - but I feel like I know the area. And I have learned so many interesting facts from my reading. Some obscure things I would never have known without reading books. I call it my miscellaneous trivia and it has come in handy at times.

So let me encourage you, if you are not already a reader - BECOME ONE! You will be taken on wondrous  adventures that you may never experience without the written word.