Back on the Reading Rainbow Wagon

My entire life, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. Books, magazines, papers, poetry, essays, the dictionary, the thesaurus...you get the point. Take one part being the daughter of an English teacher and writer, and another part having been read to before bed by one of your parents while growing up, and you tend to develop a passion. It's unavoidable.

It's one of the best things my parents did for me, for so many reasons. Actually, said reasons constitute their own dozen or so posts. I don't want to digress.

This leads me to what I know fondly (finally) refer to as my falling-off-the-wagon period. I didn't stop reading completely; oh no. But any avid reader or writer will tell you that while informative, relative and enriching on some levels, Vogue, W, Rolling Stone and various online media sources do not equal the Waldorf-Astoria of readership. Of course, I always know the latest designers, up-and-coming artists on the scene and political to-dos, but where is the character development? How I longed for the exquisite detail of a landscape, or a city. The flaws, the glories and the pulsing emotion.

Where was my lavish escape from the daily idiosyncrasies of life, even if it was obtained, ironically at times, via the minutia of fictional characters?

Cut to February 2008. Almost one year ago. I became another statistic in the worst bout of unemployment since the 1980s . After a few months of waking up, cooking breakfast, drinking coffee, semi-watching "The View," revising my resume, networking, reviewing/applying for open jobs, hanging out with my also unemployed bestie, and drinking the occasional vodka on the rocks, I thought...I bet I can exercise my mind JUST a little more than this. So I picked up Bram Stoker's Dracula, and away it went...

I was back on the reading wagon.

Then on a visit home, I shared my new, worldly status with my writer mom. Elation ensured. She was became so overwhelmed at the fact that I finally let books back in to my life; enough so to purchase me several classics and fictional newbies, all recommended by the most avid reader I know.

I was hooked all over again. I devoured the books, week after week, or month after month, depending on the content and author. I got lost in their worlds, and it was just the cathartic therapy I needed during one of the most difficult times of my life.

The new job came in July, six total months after the layoff. And thankfully, the reading didn't stop. It's safe to say I've gone all out, joining Goodreads and such. My friends and I now have book club (meeting two, this Thursday!), I swap book ideas with friends and co-workers, which ultimately leads to interesting conversation. And who doesn't appreciate that? I even have two or three books my Phil wants me to read, which I have already deemed a little too scifi for my liking, but hey..I'm going to give them a shot, too. It's great to be with someone who values the written word equally. Amazingly refreshing, really.

So today's musing is to GET A BOOK and READ IT!

It can be a book of poems, essays or short stories...or chicklit, or Tolstoy . Just something that will expand your mind. You'll feel different after each page, so imagine how thought provoking an entire read is.

Not that there's anything ultimately wrong with Vogue, barring any opinions on the modern feminine physical ideal. Or even the weeklies (you know who you are; we all love a little celeb dish, no matter how horrific the paps are).

But get yourself a bound copy of something, and trust me, be prepared for a positive life change.

Until spring -- I'll be obsessing over reading!

E.