I'm a big reader. Books have played a huge part in my life; I was under their spell as soon as I learned to decode the puzzle of the alphabets and discovered the hidden majesty of words. It was back then, when I was still new to this feeling of hurtling headlong into another dimension, one that existed between simple typewritten characters and unremarkable, bound pages, that reading was most magical. Regardless of author, genre, plot, I picked up each book I read, giddy with the anticipation of losing myself, of being immersed in a world that felt as real as it was unreal.
I've plotted my life around my love of books: I majored in English Lit in college and I now work in book publishing. I've found that there's always a degree of jadedness that will afflict a devoted reader, especially one who is in the industry. Over the years, a sort of sensory adaptation has taken a hold of me, rendering the words I read just words; three-dimensional experiences have flattened into a single dimension of printer ink on stock paper. Sometimes I fear that, like summers that stretched into eternities, books that possessed me risk becoming a privilege of childhood.
But, rest assured, dear reader: I continue to read because I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I stopped; mostly, I keep digging through books and manuscripts, hoping that I may find that one, which is more than just good or even great, one that is downright spellbinding and intoxicating. And, happily, I'm now in the clutches of a manuscript that I simply can't put down. It's a debut crime thriller and I was blown away by how masterfully and beautifully written the novel is. It's as heartbreaking as it is terrifying. I started reading it innocently enough last night and by 3:30AM, I was reading compulsively, swearing that I'd go to sleep after these five, ten, or fifteen pages. During my morning run, I could only think of going back home and plunging right back into the manuscript. It's so good that I can't imagine how I'm going to extricate myself from it to go to this party tonight. The ms might just win out in the end.
Okay, the ms calls me. Talk to you guys later!
3 comments:
It's a blessing when your work can bring the kind of joy that allows you to work and the time seems like a blink...
You are very fortunate to have found that kind of love. Enjoy and prosper!
Ooh, you must tell us what book it is!
BK: Thanks so much! Yah, I'm not sure how folks survive in lines of work that they don't enjoy. I am indeed blessed to work in an industry I love with such intelligent, amazing, funny, and creative people. I still look forward to going into work everyday, mA.
Erin: It's Tana French's IN THE WOODS. We're pubbing in June2007, so you have a while to go before you'll see it in bookstores but I promise it's worth the wait!
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