There's a reason why I don't often read novels.It's not that I don't read. I read friendly things like the Biography of Mister Rogers. Or I read introspective things like Donald Miller's deep thoughts or the challenging reflections of C.S. Lewis. But I steer clear of novels. To say that I don't have time to invest is usually a lie. For this reason only, I read a best-selling novel of the secular sort lent to me by a friend here. Having trudged through 300 pages of adultery and scandal, I am again reminded why it's dangerous for me to read.
I get nightmares. The kind that feel so real that you wake up in a cold sweat. It sends my brain into this superactive frenzy of imagination that I can't shut off at night. Consequently, I've lost sleep and fight the urge to be irrationally paranoid. I did laugh a lot as I related to the "heroine"s perspective on turning thirty (if you can still call her a heroine after she hooks up with her best friend's fiance).
The last set of novels I read were the LaHaye/Jenkins "Left Behind" series. Those books produced some of the strangest and scariest dreams I've ever experienced. I can still describe them in detail (and if you want a good story, ask me about the time I got in a fight with Jesus Christ). Most of the time, I prefer not to remember them. Nothing gets my mind active like reading a good story.
It's easy to see why reading does wonders to keep the brain agile.
Any other bookworms out there?
5 comments:
I used to read a ton when I had more spare time, like in college. I want to try getting into sci-fi "classics" like Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, stuff like that.
Right now I've got 2 or 3 books in various stages of reading... Interface by Neal Stephenson, Be the Pack Leader by Cesar Milan (the Dog Whisperer!), and of course my Bible... which I don't read as often as I should but I'm trying!
Most of the time, my reading is confined to my magazines. Games for Windows, Maximum PC, Wired, Imbibe. *sigh* So many wonderful leisure activities, so little time.
Reading is definitely hazardous to my health when I get those bright yellow letters on the white background in my Bloglines! ;)
I actually won a certificate last year for the being the most-read person in Stockton. No joke. Kind of embarrassing. (I like to think other people underestimated their reading habits and I overestimated mine.) Justin got a kick out of it and now the whole family likes to call me the "most literate person in Stockton."
I do enjoy a good novel. Some recent favorites: A Thousand Splendid Suns and Water for Elephants. Both were excellent, but could possibly induce nightmares in the easily susceptible.
I'm currently reading The Alchemist, which so far seems like a good story about following your dreams - nothing nightmarish to report yet. Justin really enjoyed Shane Claiborne's book "The Irresistable Revolution" and another one called "Rock Stars on God."
Wow. Longest post on record. Clearly the subject of reading DOES get me all riled up. :)
Whoops...sorry Bobby!
I just finished reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (I think that's her name). It was a good read but it did give me nightmares. Not sure what it would do to you, but while it was a great book, it was very hard for me to read.
Other books I love: The Alchemist, Beach Music, The Giver, The Catcher in the Rye
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