“Books are mirrors: You only see in them what you already have inside you.”
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Have you ever read a book you loved, only to find out that someone else in your life did not have the same experience? The truth is, that’s OK! One of the beauties of reading is that there are scores upon scores of books from which to choose. Today, with the help of the internet, the seemingly limitless selection of titles is even closer to your fingertips. So the old saying about “chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry” definitely holds true when it comes to preference in books.
Having said that, what about when you read a book, love it, and find another person who also loved it? What you will find is that even though you both read and loved the same book, you each have a different outlook on the story. Even the longest books must end somewhere, so a writer can never tell the reader everything they might possibly want to know in a single book or even a series of them. Knowing this, a lot of readers imagine their own details as they go along, and this is where their own life experiences serve to make the book whatever it will be to them.
One of the things I was not totally prepared to experience prior to publishing a novel was the way that people will say, “This moment in the story really struck a chord with me, because . . . “ before proceeding to share a personal memory with me. It makes me happy because I know that they read the story, invested their heart and mind in it, and are seeing in the book something that was inside of them. I believe the books that we grow to love the most are the ones that make us feel more connected with ourselves, and therefore others. I hope you are reading such a one right now!
If you are interested in some of the books I have read, or what I am currently reading, follow me on Goodreads!
"The journey of a lifetime starts with the turning of a page."
Rachel Anders
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