Post 2: What is a book?

A book is a place. To be a book, it must have the ability to ignite your imagination; to take you somewhere. A book is a place your mind travels to as you turn pages. For example, a book triggering pleasant memories, or how you picture the plot of the story rooted off of  your past experiences.

With a physical book you can see the worn out pages from you reading it over and over and over again; your underlined quotes. It is obvious of how much you enjoy the books, which are your favorites and which aren't. You can lend the book to friends to read, you can take it out in the sun and still see the words. The spotted tear markings from when your OTP didn't end up together; the mascara markings at Augustus Waters' death. The texture and the pages adding to the significance.

An eBook you can only read in a certain light, no glares around. You cannot lend it to friends, for there would  be other books on it too, or personal information on the tablet. EBooks rob you of the option to underline and annotate the story, write notes in the margins or to fold the corner of a page you really like.

Though, I disagree with Tom Piazza "Everything becomes two-dimensional, flat." about a book on a tablet or phone or computer. If you keep the door to your imagination open, you can see everything visually, correctly. A book is all about your imagination, if you can visualize the home, if your mind is able to fly into another realm (book world). How you see and think of thing is completely up to you and your mind, no matter the type of book.

A book is a place where we, as adults or teenagers or children can ignite our imagination once again. A place, as Joe Meno said, where we can translate word into image, connect those images to memories, to dreams, and larger ideas. Within this world of text, you get the chance to be an active imaginer.

Post 1: Why I Read

Why do I read?

 

I read to get away from problems. I have found myself multiple times recently procrastinating on homework by sticking my nose in a book. Reading is a doorway into, sort of, another world. The storyline is on the pages of the book, but the rest is up to your imagination. You decide how the characters look, how the lands look, the character's voices. Everything can be pictured how you imagine.

 

I read for my own pleasure. When I read, I feel it opens my mind more, I am able to see a different perspective of things. I can see how someone else interprets things or experiences events versus how I would.

 

I read to learn. By reading I learn how different everyone can be inside a book, as well outside, in real life. I learn new words and word order. I learn how mean words can be to someone or how much one compliment can affect a girl/boy. I learn the differences everyone has along with the similarities. I learn I may relate to the book, the author, or even a character. In reading I find more about who I want to be. I read because I enjoy reading.