How To Get Into Reading Books

There is no friend as loyal as a book.

-Ernest Hemingway

I have a friend, who actually happens to my best friend and we have been friends for a fairly long time and I suddenly remembered of what he told me years ago. As most of you know, I do see myself as an aspiring writer. I love writing, especially fiction, ever since I was a child. I love creating my own world with characters that is from my subconscious mind. I love giving them a life, feelings, thoughts of their own. Unfortunately, this friend of mine is the complete opposite of myself - but we are very similar to each other in many ways, we even share the same birth date, it's quite creepy actually - and he bloody hates reading.

Don't get me wrong, of course when he needs to read something he has to - like a text message, or a safety sign, or a menu at the restaurant. But reading for fun, he's not about it at all. So I thought to myself, there must be others like him who doesn't fancy picking up a story book and read for fun. And just that alone, I feel like they're missing out on one of the greatest pleasures in life. So, I've decided that I'm going to share about my tips on how to get into reading books, for those who doesn't like to read.

But of course if you're already into reading novels and any sort fictional piece, you can skip today's post. Unless you want to keep reading, which I don't mind at all. I'd love it if you do. It makes me feel very appreciated. Anyways, unto the actual content.

Start with short stories because sometimes reading a novel with 2000 pages can seriously bore and suck the life out of you, especially if you're just starting to get into reading. Short stories are more straightforward, there's no unnecessary plot and characters which can either be really enticing, or really boring. Most of the time it's really intriguing, because of its short sentences and the pace of it is really fast. Like a staccato musical piece.

As ridiculous as this may seem, when I find myself lost in the bookstore, I actually go straight to the very last page and read the ending. I don't know why but I am one of those people who genuinely love spoilers. I like knowing what's bound to happen; I feel as if I won't feel as sad or shocked when it does. Now I know not everyone (almost no one) enjoys a spoiler so how about flipping through its pages randomly and stop to read a line or two? From there onwards, you might decide whether you'd want to continue reading it or not. It won't spoil the whole book for you, it'll be like a preview or a trailer; you only get to see pieces of it.

Of course, if you still feel like that's not enough to intrigue you, you can always start at the beginning. Sometimes a jump start is all we need, right? The next thing you know, you're already at the end and somehow you'll feel lost, as if you're longing for something - or someone. One that you've never even met. And that'll be the one of the saddest feeling you'll ever experience.

When I find myself lost in the words of another human soul, I feel everything all at once. I know then I found myself a 'good book'. But if you ask me, there's no such as a good or a bad book. It's all comes down to you because at the end of the day, you're the one who's going to experience it. If you feel like you found a piece of material that makes you feel everything all at once, you've found yourself a good book. Keep reading it.

Reading a book, whatever book it may be, can really help you in life. It was actually from reading that I decided I wanted to become a writer (duh, that's an understatement Haziqah *rolls eyes*). The first book I ever read that made me want to become a writer was, The Midnight Hand by Paul Stewart. This book genuinely made me feel so many emotions, I cried by the time I got to the end of it. And I can still recall the first day I picked it up in English class back in year 8, when our teacher told us each to grab a book and read for 10 minutes before starting our lesson. It was the best decision I ever made picking up this book.

I don't exactly have a copy of The Midnight Hand with me though, which is a shame. I should add that on my list of many things to purchase (at least I'll feel less guilty when it's not all just skincare products and makeup hehe) and take a walk down memory lane when I have it in hand with me. If you're wondering, the photos I used for today's post are just random books I have in my collection with me, most of my other books are sitting in a pool of dust back home in Malaysia.

There are many ways a book has affected me; as a writer and also as a person. I hope that you can find solace in books, when all else seems like it's crumbling apart. I hope that when you find a book that's worth every second of your time, you'll be able to find another and fill that void that is missing from your heart. I hope that one day, when I have a book of my own, I'll be able to inspire others, make others feel everything all at once with my words. There simply isn't a better feeling than that.