Addicted to Reading

Hi! My name is Patricia and I’m addicted to reading. My drug of choice is mystery/suspense novels. I confess; it’s true. I can’t stop! (Not that I want to.) If I don’t get my daily “fix” of at least an hour or two, you don’t even want to be around me. Fortunately, that seldom happens because reading is a priority for me; it’s a very important part of my life. Give me a good mystery/suspense novel and I’m content. Try to take that book from me and, well, I don't recommend doing that.

The books I own are among my most treasured possessions. Fiction is magic; it opens up new worlds and gives us the opportunity to escape the realities of our everyday lives and immerse ourselves in someone else’s story. While I enjoy watching TV and movies, there’s nothing like reading a good book. Reading allows me to use my own imagination. I can visualize the characters and the settings instead of having someone else do it for me. It’s a much more personal, fulfilling experience.

When someone tells me they don’t like to read, my mouth falls open. I’m shocked! I envision all kinds of scenarios. Maybe no one read to them when they were a child. Maybe no one encouraged them to read. Or maybe, someone made fun of them for having their nose stuck in a book. My heart goes out to them. How sad is that? I can’t imagine going through life without reading. Non-readers have no idea what they’re missing and how much books could enrich their lives.

My mother was one of those people; she's never been much of a reader but, when my first novel was published, of course, she read it. (After all, I am her daughter.) Then she read my second book. Since then, she’s read two novels by Mary Higgins Clark and she’s currently reading a third – and waiting for my third novel too, she says. Now, she loves to read. 

Is there someone you know who hasn’t discovered the joy of reading? Do they have a birthday coming up? Why not buy them a book in whatever genre you think they might like? There’s something for everyone: Sci-fi, Romance, and, of course, Mystery. You could be giving them the gift that lasts a lifetime.