I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991
I love reading, it's something that my wonderful Da and Mum passed down to me and my sisters. Some of my fondest memories when I was little are driving through canyons to get to Nannie's condo and listening to Da read LOTR. Books have been a great escape for me. They set me apart when I was younger. I mean who knows a third grader who read The Hobbit, The Fellowship, and Two Towers within a month of each other? (I stopped there because Da hadn't finished reading Return of the King to us). I almost always had a book in my hand, and if not a book a pen and notebook to write my own horribly thought out ones. And thus they have helped shaped and keep my vivid imagination. And after tonight I think they have helped shape my personality and who I am.
At FHE we were thinking up ideas for a movie for our ward movie awards. We decided to have famous good guys versus famous bad guys. Someone mentioned Gandalf which lead to Frodo and Sam, which lead to Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn (and talk of The Hobbit movie). One of my roommates leaned over to the other and said something to the effect of "What are they talking about?" The other had no idea either. One of the boys politely leaned over and told them it was Lord of the Rings. "Oh, I've never read or seen those." The other nodded in agreement.
Okay, I understand not reading them, they are long and do drag in some parts but you didn't see them? What do they teach you in California? To hide under bushes when something epic comes out? I mean, some people aren't into trends I guess.
But it did push me into thinking of why people think I am more mature than my age. Could this be a reason? Could reading epics like LOTR and Narnia really have given me that much of an edge on maturity? To beat a 23 year old in reasoning skills? I don't want to be harsh on them or anything but I have had a lot of people tell me they couldn't believe that I was only 18 or 19 or 20, whatever age I was. They always pegged me as 23 or older. (As a freshman in high school a cashier asked me what I was studying, turned out she thought I was a freshman in college.)
Do the books I read really have that much effect on who I am? On how I think and act? Are they the reason people don't peg me as the stereotypical Utah Mormon? Dear Georgia Boy kept thinking I was from Colorado, after all.
If they have had this big of an effect on my life, I am glad I have read mostly well written, clean novels. Some have been trash but I usually don't end up finishing those. And if they helped me become the person I am, I thank you Mum and Da for introducing a fierce love of books to me. Apparently all those nights staying up late reading did do some good after all =}
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Books affect your vocabulary first of all. My boys once interacted with some non-reading cousins, who told them to "quit talking like that." My boys were using clean language and couldn't figure out what they meant, until the cousins said "Quit using big words." They thought they were showing off, but no--it comes naturally to have a larger vocabulary if you read--and therefore sound more mature.
Did you ever get caught mispronouncing a word because you read it and knew what it meant but never heard it spoken? It happens a lot in my family. English has so many vagaries. Why don't snow and plow rhyme?
BTW, I have never read or seen Tolkien either but I am at least culturally away enough to know of whom you spoke. I just didn't care for the Hobbit. Orson Scott Card, now...but even a few of his are kind of trashy. Like you, I tend not to finish the ones that I find not to be wholesome. Why waste time cluttering up my mind when there is so much great literature out there?
Well, I'm glad you like to read, since this is such a long comment!
Post a Comment