Sunday, June 20, 2010

Regain the joy of Reading

I forgot how great it was when you were reading a book.

When I was in high school, I loved to read. (I hate all the must-read recommended from teacher though. Coz.. I'm a rebel ?! ) Later, when I got admitted in translation studies, it introduced me to a lot of great authors on earth. Most of the book I read at that time was contemporary Chinese literature and some popular English fictions. It's like open the gate to heaven. Translating them become one of my hobby. But this hobby didn't last long.

After finishing the diploma in translation, I got admit to Cultural Studies in the university. I find myself reading huge amount of academic readings. That was the time I stop reading any books. Reading to me at that time was so target-oriented. You gotta read these "materials" to get your essay done. Reading was not a enjoyable but stressful. Sorry books, I gave up on you. And I won't do that again.

So, now I am graduated from the university. 24 hours of spare time. You gotta spent it somehow. Book come back to my life.

The Gargoyle

Few weeks ago, the bookstore was on sale. And I was wandering at the fiction section. And I pick up this amazing book call Gargoyle. It's the cover that draws me in. I read a few pages and headed to the cashier right away.

I forgot the joy of reading, specially a fiction. A good book should be keeping you to turn page-by-page, chapter-by-chapter, and you really wish you could finish it straight away. The joy of reading is that you can imagine your own picture of the scene. The words can translate themselves into picture when you was reading it. This is the joy you won't gain when you are watching TV or a movie.

The way that Andrew Davidson arrange the chapter always keep me wondering what could happen next. I like the way of guessing till the end when I was reading. Especially when you are reading Gargoyle, it's more than a detective story, it keeps make you ponder is Marianne telling the truth or she just a crazy woman. I have no idea on how to write a review. So many people had already written about this book on GoodReads and other media. So, my book review should stop here.

So, I joined GoodReads. It keeps recommending me to read books that I may like.

Thank you book. I am back. Please do let me come back to you.

Dear book lovers,

Could you help me a lost-and-found book lover here?
In the ocean of million books,
How do you decide to pick up that particular book and read it till the end?
Could you recommending me some book review blog(s) that you like?
Any tips?

Sorry for asking too much questions. You know, I gave up on reading once. And I am trying my best not to make it happen again. That's why I ask those questions. To prevent tragedy from happening.

Love,
Vicky

3 comments:

Faiza said...

hey vicky! find me on goodreads as: faizazarin

Anonymous said...

Dear Vicky ^^ I thought I'll leave you a message because I know exactly how you feel ~ I also had to read a huge lot of academic articles and books and after that I never felt like taking up a novel to read just for fun, I was tired of reading and forgot that it can be entertaining and exciting... Now I read again and enjoy some books that have an exciting story or that are written with beautiful words that you just savour like candy ^^ I love reading international authors and discover foreign countries through their writings, so I usually browse wikipedia to know some names, then check some reviews on amazon or other online shops and finally find out whether we have them in the library... I don't know whether public libraries are still popular in HK... I imagine that you can read the books at the shops as well ~ in Germany you're not allowed to, if you read many pages, you'll have to buy it... ahhaha... So I go to library... The public city library is quite good but there are also translations and original literature at our uni library... Maybe we can recommend books to each other in the future too ^^ Take care, darja ^^

Vicky said...

@Faiza, Yay, I just find you in Goodreads.. Er.. I am a total beginner at Goodreads, so you are my only friend there.. haha

@Darja, Thanks for the tips! We do have public libraries, but they are all ugly (refering to the design of the building) which stop me from entering. I like the Uni library a lot, though. Hong Kong and Germany are quite the same on the policy of reading book in the shop. You don't quite allow to read them. But some good bookstore does have few chair for you to sit down and read for a bit before you buy it. (How nice!)
Yay, Let's introduce to each other.
BTW, I just sent out the envies PLUS the first penpal mail to you. Keep my finger crossed they will reach you safe and sound. =)