pledge

I was quite a bookworm when I was little. I went through books faster than we could get to the library or order them at school bookfairs. My grandparents love going for long rides, so when I was staying with them I would sit in the backseat and read quietly for hours and hours. My grandpa would joke every so often "Are you still back there?". I even wanted to be a writer for a while.

I enjoyed most books. Especially historical fiction, books with well developed characters and well described emotions. But there also had to be a well paced plot. Honestly I don't know how many times I checked out a Jane Austen book at the library only to return it unfinished. I could never get through! I think reading was what began my wish to travel, to see the world.

My dad started reading a lot recently when he got a new jobs that forces him to do a lot of traveling. He bought books for the airplane and hotel rooms and audiobooks for when he was on the road. For christmas we got him a Kindle and he LOVES it. But I'm not so convinced. Even though it's small, holds a bzillion books, you can "bookmark" pages and highlight sections...I just can't see how it's the same. I love underlining and post-it flagging pages, the black letters on ivory paper, the smell of new and old books. The cover art or lack thereof.

Studying engineering in college stole most of my precious reading time and I'm sad to say I only read a limited number of books per year. But I'd like to change that. For now I get my quick fix from magazines. As much as I love blogs and the internet, it has not replaced those colorful glossy pages for me. Well styled editorials with things I may or may not (read: never) be able to afford, spark my imagination and suppressed creativity, allow me to see other places. Once I'm out of school and have a more normal routine, I'd love to start reading the newspaper on a regular basis. The instant gratification of the internet is too much for me, I like to have that connection to the outside world in my hands.

So thanks to a little campaign started by esb and cevd, I pledge to read the printed word.