I love to read and have since I was old enough to figure out what all those little letters were doing on the page. There is just something about getting lost in a good book that I find incredibly satisfying.
My favourite genre is genealogy mysteries. My favourite author is Nathan Dylan Goodwin, a British author whose Morton Farrier series is, in my opinion, the best. I have read several of his books, and once I get started, it can be very difficult to put one down.
I do read other genealogy mystery authors as well, and I seem to be particularly drawn to books set in Britain, Ireland and Scotland. Perhaps that shouldn’t be too surprising, given my own family history. Three out of my four grandparents were born in England, so perhaps there is a little bit of my heritage calling me home through the pages of a book.
There is just something about family mysteries that I find intriguing, even when I know they are completely fictional.
Of course, I keep hoping that my own family history research will uncover some scandalous, earth-shattering family secret. So far, not much luck. I’ve found the odd great-great-uncle or grandfather who had a little skirmish with the law, and one who was a bigamist.
But nothing truly shocking.
Darn it!
I’m still holding out hope. There has to be somebody interesting lurking in those family trees somewhere.
No matter what genre you love to read, though, I implore you to read.
Reading is such a wonderful escape from reality, even if only for a little while. It can be a stress reliever, a way to learn something new, or simply an opportunity to sit quietly and let your imagination take you somewhere else.
Depending on what you’re reading, you might learn about another country, another time period, another person’s experiences, or something you never knew you were interested in.
Personally, I’ve never been much of a science fiction, horror, fantasy or historical fiction reader. Unless, of course, we’re talking about the history of places my ancestors came from. Then suddenly, I’m all in.
And speaking of getting lost in a book…
I believe I’ve mentioned in a previous blog that I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. I have read all the books and, without exaggerating, I have seen each of the movies at least a couple dozen times.
I just find the whole series fascinating.
I remember one of the books arriving by courier one afternoon. I started reading it sometime in the middle of the afternoon and simply couldn’t put it down.
Eight hours later, I finally finished it.
I had forgotten to eat. The sun had gone down. I had completely lost track of time.
And I was in heaven.
Well, except for one little problem.
The book was finished.
Now I had to wait for J.K. Rowling to write the next one.
That, my friends, is the downside of being a bookworm. You can escape reality for hours at a time, but eventually you have to come back.
And sometimes, you really don’t want to.
So, if you’re not a reader, perhaps pick up a book and give it a try. You might discover a whole new world waiting for you between the covers.
And if you are a reader?
Well, you already understand.
Happy reading!
And, as Tigger would say, TTFN. Ta-ta for now!