For The Love Of Books!

Every time I start reading a book, I am reminded how amazing they are. I adore the smell and feel of their pages but also their potential. When I open a book for the first time I'm filled with a combination of excitement, contentment and smugness as if I've been welcomed into a secret, exclusive club.

I'm excited because I know each book I read might inspire me or provide me with previously unknown knowledge or wisdom. The possibilities, the journeys and the new experiences I take from each one is exciting! People who don't understand that new book feeling or those who refuse to open up to the idea of reading; they baffle me.

I'm content because I associate books and reading with positivity. Books have helped me through rough times, they're comforting. I also used to be a bookseller and I enjoyed every moment of it. Even studying for my philosophy degree, I relished reading a new philosophical text and during my masters degree in art, design and education I even incorporated books into my own art.

I'm smug because I know am taking part in an activity which will potentially expand my mind and make me a better person. I also know that writers are important. People who can express their experiences and utilise imagination in the form of words are incredible. We owe it to those authors to read.

I didn't read nearly enough books last year (or comics for that matter - and yes, they count and are just as valid an art form as books), I intend to remedy that. Here's what I'm starting with: