The Passion of a Reader

I decided to use this blog as the opportunity to discuss one of my most beloved and enjoyable pasttimes:  reading.  I have been an avid reader pretty much since birth, and I will read anything from mystery/thrillers, to biographies, to historical fiction, and everything in-between.  It saddens me to realize that not many people read for fun anymore.  Maybe they never did, but it sure seemed like it.  Of course, everyone has to read in school; it's a requirement.  When I started taking English classes at WSU I was in absolute heaven.  I was surrounded by students just like me, who actually went home at night and read books that were not assigned reading!  Sure, we could sit and discuss Wuthering Heights, John Milton, and Shakespeare, but then we could switch gears and share our views on the latest book by Dan Brown, Tom Wolffe, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 

My most favorite place in Pullman is the little used bookstore downtown called Brused Books.  Hundreds of thousands of books on the shelves, tall, looming bookcases, and a creaky hardwood floor all combine to create (at least for me), a most delightful shopping experience.  Everytime I go in the store I feel such a sense of enthusiasm.  All these books.....just waiting to be read.  I know, I know, it's completely and utterly dorky, but when you love and enjoy something this much it just doesn't matter how dorky it is.  When I was a student at WSU I interviewed for a job at the Student Rec Center.  One of the questions they asked me in this interview was, "What would be your dream job?"  I had never in my life stopped to think about that question, because at that point in my life work was not about finding the perfect job, it was about finding a job, ANY job, to pay the rent, pay bills and go grocery shopping.  So you can imagine my surprise when after not even a moment's hesitation I replied, "To own a used bookstore."  This is a moment that has stuck with me, and it honestly felt as if a light suddenly clicked on in my head.  Sure, I love writing and I will never give up on the idea that I can do it for a living someday, but I had never thought I could transfer that love of reading into some kind of a career, nor that I even wanted to.

I think that those who truly know what they want and know how to achieve it are a blessed few.  I am certain that I know what I want to do with my life, and am consistenly working on the achievement part of the equation.  But in the meantime, I have Brused Books, the endless supply of pages filled with words, and the sound of a well worn creaky floor to keep rejuvinating my enthusiasm.