[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

I read that in The English Patient and it has stayed with me.

First and foremost, I read because it gives me pleasure. One of my favorite elementary school experiences was cracking open an unused text book, burying my nose into the spine, feeling the softness of the pages against my cheeks and inhaling the scent. It was the ritual I practiced unconsciously before I began to read.

Every time I take a book from the shelf, in a library or in a store, new or used, I feel that same kind of anticipation. I like to experience the physical reality of the book before I enter the universe of the writer's mind.

My approach to reading is sometimes three-fold.

The first read: For pleasure. I read without ignoring my own point of view. I may learn new things, but often my own opinion may skew the author's intent. The book speaks to me or it doesn't. I find myself fixated on turns of phrase, word usage, the structure of paragraphs. My love or hate, etc. of the characters. It can be intense or cursory, depending on how excited I am by the narrative. More often than not, even if I love the book, one read is all I manage.

The second read: To better understand the book the author set out to write, taking my own experiences into consideration less. Sometimes I'll notice something wonderful I missed before, and sometimes I'll notice its faults more.

The third read: Deconstruction. The part of me that likes to write reassess the whole in order to develop a deeper understanding or appreciation.

Mostly, I like to read because I love storytellers, and the mythology and folklore passed on through the ages, digested and reinterpreted. I learn more about myself whenever I read a novel. I learn more about the world. Words thrill me. I read the dictionary for fun. I love it when an author can explain a common experience in a way that hasn't really been done before. Poetry can enhance one's understanding of language in a way a phonics book never could. An historical fiction can sometimes make palatable a lesson that one yawned through in 8th grade American history, and a non-fiction book can read like the best imaginary story ever told, if the writer is gifted enough.

I, uh, just really like to read.

Plus, reading is sexy!

Heh.