Reading for Fun

So I'm kinda cheating you guys on this one, I wrote this mini-paper to explain what draws me in when I pick up up a book and wanted to share it. See people are always telling me "'Oh you need to read this classic by Dickens or this by XY, it's a tough read but worth it!" I have enough problems reading through this stuff for school. When I want to read for myself, I'm not going to subject myself to the torture of a book whose vernacular I just can't understand, plot doesn't appeal to me, and has symbols and such that require me to make inferences that are entirely too subjective. When a book appeals to you, you enjoy it. Reading becomes an adventure as opposed to a task. Granted we all have different tastes, cuddling up with a cup of tea and a Shakespearean tragedy might just be your thing and if it is, go for it! There is no right or wrong way to read. Just find what you love, not what other people think you should.

I’ve always felt that when it comes to reading for fun, people should actually be enjoying themselves. The book should make me want to turn the page and if it doesn’t, I shouldn’t have any qualms putting it down. I never really cared for classics that were difficult to read or that didn’t hold my attention. This set of criteria makes the books that I have read on my own time a wonderful and enjoyable experience. The last book I read, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, was my most recent engaging reading experience.

Dan Brown has a reputation for writing amazing thrillers so I decided to give this book a read. His name made me open it, but his words kept me holding it. From the first page the book had a firm, unrelenting grasp on my attention. It starts by saying “The secret is how to die.” What does that mean? Where is he going with this? The questions that popped up desperately needed to be answered; I refused to put the book down until they were. Brown has a style of telling two stories at once, switching back and forth between them until they inevitably come together, and when they do, every preconceived notion of what was supposed to happen is shattered. The plot twists and turns, leads you on a promising road only to say “just kidding!” as you hit the brick wall and find the road goes up rather than left or right. The story alone would’ve been enough to hold my attention but Brown simply completes the reading experience with his words.

His language is not so archaic and complex that it takes a great deal of effort to understand, yet it is not so basic that a third grader could read it. The language has a hidden eloquence, one that you don’t immediately realize because the text is simple and easy to understand. This simplicity didn’t come at the cost of quality however. The imagery Brown creates turns a book of words into a movie that goes on as you continue you reading. You read words but see the action. The intricate plot and simple language combined with vivid imagery makes the novel one that you don’t put down until you finish it.