BY LARA DEDMON
A room without books is like a body without a soul. – Cicero
(Marcus Tullius Cicero (3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher and writer.)
I can’t remember “how” I learned to read as a child in school, the time it took, who taught me or if I enjoyed the process. It seemed to me that it was just a natural progression of being taught, attentively listening, doing what I was instructed to do and eventually reading alongside classmates in and outside of the classroom.
Yet, I do remember somewhere between elementary and middle school years, going to the school library and checking out books and feeling empowered, making choices on what I wanted to read, getting my library card stamped and being responsible for having to bring it back when I was finished reading my selection. Within that time, what I remember best were those books I couldn’t put down that enveloped my thoughts and made me feel that I had sparked an adventuresome spirit so quiet I never knew it was there before. It was as if I had somehow become more “grown-up” just having read these books of my choosing. A few of these books encapsulated a style of writing that truly spoke to me. I was set on adventures like those in “The Never Ending Story” and “Swiss Family Robinson” and given dreams to hope for and felt the dedication along with the resilience of the main character in “Ice Castles” and “Island of the Blue Dolphins.”
As the seasons went on in my life, reading books was always a constant. Throughout high school and college, reading was a necessity and at times, overwhelming. During those schooling years and for many years after, I didn’t read for “enjoyment” but to learn my craft and to maintain my skills in my chosen profession.
Then, at some undefined moment, I became more introspective and wanted to learn more about “me,” my relationship with God, and if there were other people on a quest in their 20s, searching how to become who they needed to be as an “adult.” And I could find out the answers to my internal questions just by reading a book where some other introspective person took the time to research and share their knowledge and their thoughts. Finding the right book for what I needed in that moment, sitting down with it in a cozy nook was like digging for treasure and being amazed by the jewels I’d found.
During college and beyond, computers entered my world. It was wonderful putting my typing skills to good use as I was able to complete essays and term papers with more ease than on a standard typewriter. But when it came to research or wanting to read a story, I always gravitated to my first love, books.
There is a sense of the beauty of a book, inside and out. The colors of the cover, the title on the spine, even the width of that book exposing its contents as either a quick read or something that requires a significant commitment of time, mental energy and acuity, all tempted my senses and called me to seek that treasure of thoughts from people I had never met. The tangible qualities of a physical book speak to our mind and soul in a different language than the light of a screen or the scroll of a “page” on our computers. The turning of the page in a book, seeing how far you’ve come in your reading and looking ahead to what’s left to complete are all qualities that engage us on a deeper level. You read through the book, highlighting, underlining and writing notations on the edge of the pages so that you can emphasize a point that relates to you. All are things we do to further engage with the book and the contents within.
From academic books that house the knowledge of every topic you could imagine to those that take you on an adventure across distant and exotic lands, to books that delve into the intimate thoughts of someone who survived trials and tribulations you could never imagine enduring, to the bible that is a history book and story of God, to those sweet children’s books that can open our minds to the simplicity and depth of truths we adults have long forgotten but would be wise to remember. These books, in physical form, encapsulate a different way to experience a story.
So, just as there is a journey in the books we read, I invite you to join a different kind of journey and share your experiences with books with a community of book lovers. I have a proposal for you as a reader. Ponder this: can you recall the first book you read that made a significant impact on your life? What was the title, at what age did you read this book and what type of impact did it have on your life, then and now?
If you are up for a challenge or opportunity (however you may view it), it would be wonderful to have those who are interested share any or all of those thoughts with the readership of this publication, the Hernando Sun. Sharing these thoughts with one another as we begin to close our chapter on the year 2024 and enter into a new year filled with hope and anticipation of “what will be” for us all can bring us together as we create our own individual life stories every day.
“Once you’ve read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.”
– Louis L’Amour
(Louis Dearborn L’Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work “frontier stories”)
Share With Us
Please share your thoughts about the books that have impacted your life. Did you read an amazing book this year? What books are on your list for 2025?
Email your submissions to [email protected]
