Why books just do it for me

So almost needless to say, I shot myself in the foot by proclaiming I would be doing this blog thing every day. It’s been over a month :cough: and both of my previous blog posts were done in one day…that day being in early January. But there’s no need to dwell in the past, and I have been tweeting which should count for something.

I wanted to talk about why I love books. Pretty broad, I know, but the whole idea of experiencing a novel, feeling like you’re in it, and falling in love again and again with each character is an amazing thing to accomplish as a writer and a far more amazing thing to experience as a reader.

I jones utterly for good books. I’m a sucker for gritty romances with the standard brooding guy with a good heart. (But as a sidebar, I almost always hate something that’s in your face as a romance…I liked to be tricked into the story and stay for the romance, thank you very much…)

But the main reason I love books is two fold: the completely visceral reaction you can have with a book (CAN YOU HEAR ME, PEOPLE? YOU CAN BE THERE*…wherever “there” is) and the fact that reading is this private journey you’re on—typically just you—where you are the protagonist; you fall in love; you are almost killed on an island of teenagers trying to survive. It’s this completely surreal reaction to a new world you wouldn’t have had access to before, and you get access every time you turn the page.

And as a huge bonus, you can have a book buddy to say “OMG remember when he was all like ‘blah blah blah,’ I could have died.” And so your private experience of just you and the book is completely tweaked into you being able to gush something ridiculous with other people who have been trapped teenagers, spies, werewolves, or vampire lovers with you. It’s almost as if you all shared the same life experience and can now reminiscence about it together. Pretty kick A, if you ask me. (And P.S. I’d love more reading buddies. Discussing the book with people is half the reason I love reading, as you can probably now tell…)

Do you all experience gut-grabbing connections with books (if they’re good that is)? Which ones have rocked your socks to their toe cores? I’d love to read them and live vicariously if you’re up to sharing. Comment below! J

*Friendly reminder to said people. I’m not crazy enough to believe I’m actually there, but as long as it feels like it, I’m happy. Just so we’re clear…lol.

Now to leave you with a song that moves me, not to dance but to blast it loudly and croon along. It's "Say It Like You Mean It" by Matchbook Romance off of their album Voices, which, like I tweeted a while back, you should own in all seriousness. It's epic something huge.