With all this free time I've had this month, I've been reading a lot. And I've discovered there are two ways I read books I'm really enjoying.
Some books I just never want to stop reading. Once I pick it up, I want to keep reading until I've finished. I can't wait to turn each page because I need to know what happens next. They're quick reads. Several times this month I've read a book in a day or so.
The other ones I love need to be read more slowly. They're so awesome I want them to last forever, so I read slowly, dipping in and out so I can savor every word and phrase. And when the book is finished, I miss it and wish I could read it again the same way.
But of course you can never read a book for the first time again. And even rereading it won't be the same experience because you already know the book's secrets and surprises. Which doesn't mean you can't enjoy a book a second time. I have many books I return to fairly regularly because I love them so much. They're like my old friends.
As a writer, I want my books to be like the ones I love. I want people to savor the language and imagery, to be so involved with my characters that they can't bear to put the book down until they've found out what happens to them.
How do you read the books you love?
When I read the last Harry Potter book I kept skipping down the page because I was so anxious to know what happened. I had to keep forcing myself to go back and read the whole page so i wouldn't miss anything. :)
ReplyDeleteI read books I love with post it notes to mark my favorite passages and I go back and reread them. If I'm using my Kindle I make notes on my favorite parts to go back to later.
ReplyDeleteI think all of us want to write books people love to read. But how to do that is the riddle. Still, the more we learn, the better we get. :-)
ReplyDeleteIf I'm loving a book I'm reading, I usually don't want to put it down and tend to read fast.
ReplyDeleteI read fast, but only if it hooks me right away.
ReplyDeleteI still revisit classics that I read and loved. To me that would be the compliment, that someone would want to read me to get a "feeling" again.
Ah yes! I'd definitely like to write one of those books people revisit every year or so!
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