The Art of Reading

Time and the enjoyment of reading is really all it takes for the art of reading. Sure you have to know how to read & write to start with, but I think to really read you need to make the time and enjoy reading.

Lately I've been making the time and rather enjoy the books that I've selected to read or should I say consume. I would not have called myself a heavy reader when I was younger. I went to the library and I would pick out some books to read, but as I grew older I started reading less and doing other things.

It wasn't till I started reading the Harry Potter series that I turned into a heavy reader. I found myself moving quickly through the books and wanting more. After each book I was ready for the next and eager to see what would happen. Now I'm waiting like so many other for the last book of the series to come out, but I've found that I really enjoyed reading over those past months and want to read more.

So I moved on to the Chronicles of Narnia and these stories are a lot shorter. I also wanted to read them in the order they originally were published and started with the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and wanted to read it before the recent movie came out. I have the nice hard back collection and was told to skip the Magicians Nephew, because it explains a lot of things that happen later and if I read it first, it would spoil some of the enjoyment of the other stories.

I'm taking a brake from reading the whole set at once and I let myself enjoy some other subject matter. I picked up a series by Eoin Colfer called Artemis Fowl and have really enjoyed the first three books. The first book has been described as "Die Hard with fairies" and is about a 12 year old criminal mastermind named Artemis Fowl, who forms a plot to divest the fairyfolk of their pot of gold. Set in modern times and filled with all sorts of techno gadgets and fantasy themes, the anti-hero Artemis is trying to regain the former glory days of the Fowls' family name and fortune.

Dan Brown's Angles & Demons and the Da Vinci Code has been the latest set of books for me to read. Quite a difference from the other books, I started with Angles & Demons, the first book for the Character Robert Langdon, who also appears in the Da Vinci Code. Both stories weave real world facts and fiction together in such a way, its hard to tell what is fiction and real. The thrillers have been a real enjoyment and I found myself reading page after page and making my way through the books. I've liked them so much I want to read Deception Point and Digital Fortress and I look forward to the third book with Robert Langdon when it comes out.

A lot of these books are later made into movies and I've found that reading the books in almost every case is by far better than just watching the movie. I guess its to be expected when they cut stories down into a 2 hour movie. I'm glad I've started reading more and my list of books to read keeps growing. Which story should I start on next, lets see...