There isn't a room in our house that doesn't have a book in it. Some rooms are so full of books that there is barely room for anything else. If we go away, even for just a few days, books are amongst the first things that are packed. Books are, quite literally, an essential part of our lives. We are at our local bookshop so often that I think the staff include our presence when they do their stocktaking.
When I look back at my childhood I remember being tucked up in bed reading, snuggled in a comfy chair by the roaring fire on a cold winter's day devouring a wonderful work of fiction or laying on a towel on a beach with a book in my hand. One of the first things I remember my Dad doing, after finishing his dinner, is settling down on the sofa with 'The Count of Monte Cristo' or 'Kidnapped' or other exciting novels.
So why are books so important? Well, they can inspire, reassure, give hope, gratitude, terrify, amuse or simply liven up a boring day.
For as long as I can remember I have escaped into books, loved their worlds and wanted to live in them. When I was in primary school I used to love reading the Enid Blyton Secret Seven books. I wanted to live in the wonderful land of freedom inhabited by those children. I wanted to go sailing, exploring woods and brooks,to have exciting adventures. The bizarre thing is I had a wonderful childhood, full of freedom. I was out with my friends in all the daylight hours playing sports, climbing trees, hiding and seeking, but somehow the land in which the Secret Seven lived was far more exciting than mine.
As I reached my early teens Agatha Christie became the woman to read. Then I wanted to be Tuppance and go out solving mysteries with delightful Tommy. I think I read every one of her crime books. To this day I would still recommend 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' and I defy anyone who hasn't read it to identify the killer before she/he is revealed.
Of course as I grew older it became romances that I wanted to read. Jane Austen quickly became a favourite and I waited and waited for a wonderful Colonel Brandon to come along, whilst reading and rereading her books. Crime wise, I left Agatha Christie behind and moved on to Dorothy L Sayers and her delightful Lord Peter Wimsey. Then I discovered more and more classic books and never looked back. At one point I was asked at the local library if I ate them because I was there so often for more!
These days, with a lovely family needing my attention, I don't read as much as I used to but still quite a lot. I am not so fussy now. I will read anything. One day a classic, next an autobiography, then a poetry book, followed by a comedy sketch book, even (gasp) a graphic novel! But still I often lose myself in them and escape to an exciting world, free from stress and worry where magical things can happen and dreams really do come true.
So I would say to anyone - if you enjoy it read it. I am even beginning to attempt science fiction and fantasy books myself and, do you know something, they are not at all bad. So don't stop reading something because someone laughs or thinks your choice inadequate. It's your choice not theirs. This comes from the woman who will be reading 'Bunny Hopwell's First Spring' again next February for about the zillionth time since I was five. Before you ask, no I'm not embarrassed to be reading a kids' book. It takes me back to a wonderful childhood and reminds me that at the end of every bleak winter, there is a beautiful spring to look forward to. Books are there sometimes to educate, enlighten and inspire but at others just because they are good fun and you want to read them. So I say again - pick a book that you are going to enjoy, then read it and escape into the wonderful, magical world of reading.
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