Interest #1 – Reading
"There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." - Ray Bradbury
Now I know what you may be thinking: “This kid must be duller than a rock if his first interest is reading.” I beg to differ. Many people believe that reading was lost on my generation, and I think that is mainly true. People may age would rather take the time to send a tweet or go to the bar or do other senseless things. My generation has forgotten what books have the capability of doing. They give you the chance to live a hundred lives, most probably more exciting than your own. They give you the chance to escape reality for a time and forget everything. Most of all, they give you the chance to learn something, whether it is a life lesson or just some minute fact you never knew.
I have read a ton of books, so it is hard to define all the genres that I have ventured into, but I do not discriminate against a certain genre. Even though I have read an ample amount, I still have some favorites that come to mind, which I will list below in no specific order.
My Favorite Books
1.) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut – I first read this book in ninth grade for a project, and it is one of the only books that I have ever read more than once. The combination of quirkiness and poignancy is something that I admire. If you actually understand what the book is completely about after reading it the first time then you are a better reader than I am because I was lost, but it is still a favorite.
2.) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – This is the best example of a historical fiction book. Many may not agree with what he wrote and proposed, but I found the story that he wrapped around the historical events to be surprisingly believable and certainly intriguing. That is the only book I have ever read where I felt there was no drop off in the story telling. The pacing was at breakneck speed from page one.
3.) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell – This book is a doozy. It combines six different stories to create one sprawling tale about the choices we make and how they matter in the future. Cloud Atlas is an emotional powerhouse, and I love it because it flirts around these ambitious ideas of life, but it gives the reader the opportunity to conclude with their own interpretations.
4.) A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin – This isn’t just one book, but currently a series of five. People may recognize this as the basis for the show “Game of Thrones.” These books are the epitome of epic. Larger than life characters, vivid descriptions, and intriguing storytelling combine to create one of the greatest fantasy series in my opinion. They are incredible.
5.) Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling – Once again, I am cheating a bit by putting another series of books in the list, but I have to give credit where credit is due. These are the books that got me into reading. My mom read the first one to me and my sister and since then I have read each one. The magic of this series is the believability of the characters even though they are in such an unbelievable world. The basic idea of good versus evil is about the only thing that makes this series remotely similar to anything else out there.
