Oh, the Books You Can Read

Last year Paula Vince wrote a post on this blog (click here to read it ) about a challenge authors face, namely that they are at disadvantage when it comes to sharing their work.

It's like this-

You can listen to a song for a few minutes and appreciate the music and lyrics.

You can admire an architect’s genius as you walk by his magnificent building.

You can enjoy looking at a painting for two minutes and praise the artist for the way he has captured life on a piece of canvas.

But when it comes to a book, you have to take the time—hours, maybe even days—to read and appreciate it. It cannot be done in a fleeting moment.

And there’s the rub.

But also the joy!

It’s true you have to invest a great deal of time to read a book, but oh, the pleasure of the hours spent inside the covers of a favorite book (or on the screen of your eReader!)

You can get caught up in all sorts of fascinating fantasy worlds or visit countries all over the globe. Oh, the places you can go.

You can share the lives, hopes and dreams of the most amazing characters. Oh, the people you can meet.

You can go back in history, stay in your own times or fly into the future. Oh, the times you can experience.

As you read, the words disappear and you live with the characters in their worlds.  It’s a not just a tune in the breeze, a speedy walk-by, or a quick glance, but it’s an engrossing  journey during which you savour every step. Sometimes you read more quickly to find out what happens next, but other times you slow down because you want to enjoy the beauty of the words, or you just don’t want the story to end.  You may find yourself reading parts of the book again, or even the whole book, at a later date just to relive the pleasure.

Have you marveled at the fantasy world of Narnia in the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis?

Have you laughed and cried with the Baxter family in the Redemption series by Karen Kingsbury?

Have you sighed with delight at Emily’s descriptions of the trees and wind on Prince Edward Island in the Emily books by LM Montgomery? Or delighted in the wonderful characters in the books by this same author?

Have you visited my country, South Africa, in Cathy Liggett’s Beaded Hope or Shirley Tuckers Diamonds in the Dust?

Have you lived in the past in Julie Klassen’s novels set in the Regency period? Or been back to first century Jerusalem from a top-secret military lock-down facility in A Lever Long Enough by Amy Deardon?

I could ramble on for hours, but instead I’ll leave you with a tip—if you look at the Our Books widget in the right hand column, you’ll find many more wonderful books to savor and destinations to visit.

Happy reading!

Please leave a comment and tell me about some of the books that you have enjoyed investing your time in.

Ruth Ann Dell writes children's stories and international Christian fiction from her home in a sunny South African suburb. She is a member of several writing groups including the American Christian Fiction Writers and Writer's Ink. Her desire is to craft gripping stories which draw her readers into a closer relationship with God.

Ruth Ann and her husband have lived in several countries and are renovating a cottage in the heart of Ireland.