Reading has always been a big part of my life. I've read books ranging from mystery to thriller to romance to adventure and to a little bit of everything. Children's, adults, youths, I've read a lot. Not most of them, because really, how many books are there in the world? But I've come to realize that what I read, or at least what I'm interested in reading, always has to do with my yearning for something. For what I want in my life.
For example, when I was in elementary school, I wanted to have adventure in my life, and I wanted to travel to different places and time periods. So I indulged in books like The Boxcar Children series, The Jungle Book, Charles Dickens' books, fiction books about King Arthur's adventures, and all the books that were on the mystery section in my elementary school's library shelf. I was able to disappear into another world. I suppose that's another thing that the Harry Potter series brought to me too, only I read it when I was older.
In junior high I wanted to have someone to compare myself to. Someone that could relate with me. And I found that in Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. I felt it was like a book written with me as the character. Confused, conflicted, having a need to be pure but wanting to break out at the same time. I also wanted romance, which, and I am now disgusted, but it came to me in Twilight. I'm sickened just hearing the title now, but back then I loved the idea of just being loved and protected. Obviously that changed when my favorite character was rejected and the fourth book came out. Enough said.
In high school I wanted romance. So romance is what I read. I didn't go delve into the erotica or those books with sex and all. Just fluffy romance. Girl likes boy. Boy likes girl. Reading fanfiction has been my secret obsession. Because of that I've read romance of all sorts. Bad boy, good boy, secret romance, dangerous romance, seductive, careful, adventurous, careless. I've read stories of unrequited love (much of which I have experienced), of stories full of angst and mystery. It's pathetic, really. As I grew older and matured (thankfully) I still wanted romance, but I wanted something deeper with more meaning. Something that would move me. So I moved onto Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Machiavelli (thanks to my English teacher), and The Alchemist, poetry, and The Road. I became more in-tune with different writing styles and became more aware of structure rather than just story.
But of course, I have my favorites. One of them will always be The Princess Bride. It's the perfect blend of all the categories I stated above. It's a great book by William Goldman. If you haven't seen the movie with Cary Grant and Robin Wright, it's fantastic (and you're slightly behind). But honestly, to me the book is better, though they're practically identical. It's just fantastic. So yes! I recommend The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It's a great read, 500 or so pages, and so worth it for someone who's into those tales of true love and high adventure. And Goldman puts in his witty humor into it too which is so entertaining. Take a read!
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