books are cool, too

I keep writing about TV, but books deserve some attention.  Less people are reading, and I get that, but all of my roommates and I usually have a book we're working on.  In fact I'm often reading one book and listening to another during my commute.  It's all stories, all the time.

Even when I was little and watching TV seemed to be the highlight of my day, I still begged for one more book before bed.  My sister used to get in trouble for staying up late with the blankets over her head and a flashlight in her hand, dying to get to the next chapter.  My cousins, who have grown up in the age of On Demand and iPhones still get lost in the worlds created by Dr. Suess and JK Rowling.  There's something about letting your imagination do the work.  Well, some of the work, I suppose the author does a fair share. 

A level of magic is attained when you read, and it has nothing to do with there being supernatural elements in the book itself, but more to do with what your mind is able to achieve.  By reading only one page, or even one sentence, you're plunged into a fictional world with rules and characters that are alive on a page.  Think about how impressive that is.  Television and film are great, but they have a pretty unfair advantage: actors are able to bring the dialogue to life and music swells at the exact right moment while the camera swings across professionally designed scenery.  In a book, it's just you and the bound paper in your hands, yet the world is more complete somehow because you had to believe in it without seeing proof. 

The characters are also just as alive, if not more so, than their two-dimensional movie counterparts.  There's a relationship formed between the author and these people she/he has dreamed up that is arguably stronger than the one other writers experience.  I obviously don't know that for a fact, but it seems like a more intense understanding is required to create a fully formed person with no help from actors or pictures.  You need have a vision that you can explain to others with words; you can't describe it out loud or in person to make sure audiences understand.  They're somewhere else in the world, holding your work, and imagining the character dear to your heart the best they can.

Don't you remember the first book you fell in love with as a kid?  Mine was called Martha's Calling.  It was about a dog who gained the ability to talk after eating alphabet soup.  Pure brilliance. I read it over and over and over again, often while eating alphabet soup myself.  It's weird how allowing yourself to truly immerse yourself in the story can enhance the experience.  Think about the lengths people go to so they can live in the world of Harry Potter.  And I'm not talking about watching the movies, I'm talking about dueling clubs and Quidditch teams.  Fans (aka Potterheads - they even have a name) spend hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, to go to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts so they can pretend they're a part of this universe.  I know the movies showed the wizarding world to the public at large, but the true fans are those who read the books long before they made it to the big screen.  And they'll all agree - they are phenomenally better because they elevate the series in a way film can't.

I could go on and on comparing books and the movies and series they've inspired because it's ridiculous how many stories you love began this way; everything from Captain Phillips to Pretty Little Liars is "based on" the written word.  Sure, they change some facts and add in a chase scene to amplify the drama, but it's not the same and we all know it.  Books let you escape into your own imagination.  Think about that.  Authors obviously put as much description in there as possible, but ultimately you're able to create whatever version of their world you want.

So all I'm saying is books are awesome and deserve to be appreciated.  Pick one up and get lost - it's totally worth it.