Good evening readers.
Today’s challenge invited us to write a book review, but I’ve never been good at writing or reading them. I want to make my own impressions of the books I read. Tonight, I want to talk about my relationship with reading.
I have been a voracious reader since I was a kid. When I was younger, I didn’t have the access to books that I do today. Braille is my first reading language, and in the 90s, as I’m sure is the same as today, access to braille books was limited. That didn’t stop my teacher from keeping a huge shelf stocked with as many books as she could get her hands on. (Pun intended). And I read them all. The especially great thing about reading braille books was that I could hide them under my blankets at night and read in secret when my parents thought I was sleeping.
However, as life progressed, and I needed more and more space for actually living, my braille books became audio files. I also switched away from reading the braille tomes when I was diagnosed with MS, and the relapses decided to play their cruel jokes on my body. Especially my fingers, making them simultaneously less and more sensitive. It felt like I was reading needles, and also missing dots, which invariably changed the words I was reading. This isn’t to say that I don’t read braille at all anymore. I do, and I am always excited to find braille in my world. Imagine my joy when I found out that my favorite beauty products were labeled in braille. Those French beauty designers definitely have my loyalty. And when a restaurant has an up-to-date braille menu, my joy knows no bounds. But sadly, my days of leisure reading in the braille format have gone by the wayside.
I still love reading though. My Audible credits are some of the best money I spend each month. Reading has always been an escape for me and I tend to devour at least 100 books per year. However, I can’t tell you with definitive certainty which book is my favorite. I’m not a re-reader of books. I will say that the best books I’ve read have made me feel emotional connections with the characters, and when I finish the book, I feel like I’ve lost a group of friends.
I find myself missing my late night under-cover reading sometimes. But there is something so liberating about now having access to the entire world of books at my fingertips (just on my phone, rather than under my hands).
And with that stream of consciousness out of the way, I think I’m going to go back to my latest book, Ask Again Yes. Will these characters open a place in my heart for them? Time will tell.
Goodnight.
Diving Into The Light 