The beginning…

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to read. Some of my earliest memories were curling up with a book, preferably in a corner, ready to escape the drudgery of regular life. George R.R. Martin is credited as saying “A reader lives a thousand lives…the man who never reads lives only one” and I have lived by this statement. I grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Chronicles of Narnia, always ready to fly away on a new adventure! Nancy and I solved countless mysteries together and I never tired of meeting up with the Pevensie children to explore and battle in the magical land of Narnia. 

I can remember sneaking books into the bathroom as a child, assuming that no one was allowed to disturb one who was “indisposed” or yelling out to my mother that I was going to get changed, and then start reading… only to be so rudely interrupted by someone (usually my mother) demanding to know what was taking so long. I can’t count the number of times that she yelled through the door “you better not be reading in there”! I lived for reading, I would snatch moments whenever possible, even if only a few pages.

My love of reading over the years has grown with me from mystery and fantasy, to biographies and historical fiction, to personal development and leadership books. I have always found that whatever I read, I could pull out some useful tidbit that would connect and relate to “real” life. For many years I saw reading as this wasteful activity that prevented me from doing other “important” things… now what those important things were, I’m not sure, but that didn’t seem to matter, what mattered was that I wasn’t doing them. It has only been over the past few years that I have realized that reading is not an escape from life but rather reading IS life! When we read, we get to step outside of ourselves and see the world through another person’s eyes. Reading helps develop creativity, empathy, and critical thinking which turns out are actually quite valuable in “real” life. 

Over the years my reading tastes have expanded and with them my love of learning. I have changed from telling people (many of who did not ask) what exciting novel I just finished, to telling them about my latest personal development book and/or what had been added to my Goodreads list. One common theme I have found, as I have accosted many with my reading enthusiasm, is that not everyone is as excited about books as I am. I know… it was shocking to me as well! But the reality is that we live in a world of “information overload” and it can be overwhelming to know what to read and where to find it. Another challenge with this is that many times when looking at a new topic we can quickly become disheartened with the vast quantities of incorrect information, hidden agendas and ulterior motives. This has made reading simply too much work for many people, people who want to learn new things but just don’t know where to start. 

One of my passions is to sift through information to find key points and simplify complex topics so that their practical application is clear for myself and others. I am always amazed at the sheer quantity of phenomenal information that is available, yet saddened that the quantity is what often makes it unattainable for so many. A dream I have by launching this site is to share my love of reading and create an environment in which we can thrive together! I hope that you will join me on this journey and are able to find your own useful tidbits, through the books that I share, that encourage you to grow, connect and relate to “real” life.

~ A

“Reading is a way for me to expand my mind, open my eyes, and fill up my heart.” ~ Oprah