Bookworm, I'm a bookworm

[agt_spooky]

John and I are still doing our spring cleaning and yesterday I came across my favorite bookmark, which I thought I'd lost, but it had simply slipped between some pieces of paper on my desk.

Anyway...why is this my favorite bookmark, you ask? It's nothing fancy. Just light blue with a simple yellow flower on it that I got for free at a bargain bookstore many, many years ago. What made it my favorite was the quote that was written on it...

"To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life." - W. Somerset Maugham

I was really struck by those words, because for me, that's completely true. I've used books since I was a child to escape from real life for a little while. To forget my troubles and go on an adventure with the characters in the pages.

What about you? Does that quote ring true for you, too? Or has reading never been about escaping, but just pure enjoyment? Do you have a favorite quote that pertains to reading?

Comments

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I've always loved to read, and we're surrounded by books in this house. So many that I periodically have to weed through them to give to the library or Good Will in order to make room for more

I would love to be so surrounded by books. :-) I mourn the loss of a lot of my books. My parents house was small, so I only had one bookcase so I could only keep my most favorite ones. And even after I got married I haven't lived anywhere large until this house. So now I have THREE bookcases. :-)  I often envy the houses you seen on HGTV who have built in bookcases.

I love how reading expands one's mind - I honestly don't believe, for instance, that FOX News is aimed at people who read - as well as the sheer literary value of the habit.

I really feel sorry for people who don’t read. Do they not realize what they’re missing??

But, it is also very true that during times in my life when I've been most down, especially in recent years, I've found my appetite to read to increase because it is the simplest, cheapest, and safest way to escape. Reading is my drug of choice. :)

I have to laugh at the drug comment. Sometimes I lament at how much I spend on books, but my husband is always saying it’s better than me buying drugs. :)