Hello my lovely readers! I am happy to bring a very special post to you today. As I was coming up with some discussion post prompts, my husband had a couple ideas that he was excited about and wanted to write for me. So without further ado, here’s his first post!
I’m a little jealous of people who haven’t read the Harry Potter series. Especially those who are also unfamiliar with the movies.
Before you digitally curse me with an unforgivable curse, let me explain: those who haven’t read Harry Potter have the opportunity to read it for the first time. That’s why I envy them.
There’s truly nothing like the first time. That’s why I don’t re-read a lot of books (my wife told me that the bookish community doesn’t judge people’s reading habits. I’m banking on that here). If I were to give Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone another go, I’d smile as I recalled my favorite parts of the wizarding world. But nothing could compare to that first time.
I’ll never forget when I first walked into Olivander’s with Harry to pick out a wand. When Wood originally explained the game of quidditch to Harry and me. When I was freshly introduced to the subjects taught at Hogwarts. That was genuine magic.
Because I can only try something for the first time once, I have some peculiar practices. For instance, if I know one of my favorite bands has a new song, I usually wait until I’m alone to listen to it, and I sit in a cool, comfortable spot without distraction so I can fully take it in. My favorite writer is a retired magazine writer. Because I know he’s done publishing stories, I wait months to read one I haven’t read. I know that someday I’ll run out of stories of his that I can read for the first time, and I’m in no hurry for that to happen. Based on what friends and family members said, I knew I would love Ender’s Game. Because I knew I would love it, I waited until the ripe age of 24 to read it, and I took it in during the summer, when I knew I would be able to give it my full attention. I read just a little bit at a time, and savored it.
The difficult thing is, there’s a lot we all want to read, right? And some things we want to read aren’t so special to us, and don’t need to be held in reserve or read little by little. So we can just plow through them. The problem is, we never know when we’re going to come across the next Harry Potter, and the beauty and wonder of such a book may not dawn on us until it’s nearly digested. I’d like to know when I’m about to read something that will change my life, so I can properly prepare myself and completely enjoy the first time. That’s why it’s nice to learn which writers and types of books are special to us. Then we can brace ourselves for yet-to-be-read books, and allow them to impact us as much as possible.
Was there a book that was so impactful that you remember the circumstances of your life when you read it the first time?
Are there any books that you’re holding in reserve, to be read at a time when you can most enjoy them?
Is there a book you wish you could go back and read for the first time?
What's She Reading? 