Book Lover

Lately, I have been really into paranormal romance novels. Adult paranormal romance novels. It started with Witches of East End (because the TV show made me want to read the book. Protip: Skip the show and just read the books), which rolled into the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong (I only have seen the first two and a half episodes of the show Bitten but I can already tell you to again skip the show and read the books) and then I moved onto the Outlander series because it's been on my "to read" list for a few months after it had been recommended by a good family friend and that also somehow managed to fit into this weird little niche I had suddenly found myself. I guess it's not all that surprising. When I was a naive teenager I found an appeal in Twilight and later True Blood (both relatively brief affairs I assure you) and more recently I became a sort of casual fan of the show Lost Girl. What can I say? I love fantasy and I have a grand total of zero guys in my life right now. These books are just what I'm into right now. It's a phase.

Side note: These are *adult* paranormal romance novels. There is some language and physical relations in the books. I have found the books I've read tasteful, but if you're easily offended by that sort of thing, I'd stick with teenage paranormal romance.

So yeah. I've been all about the supernatural love lately. But because of my ongoing life crisis, I found myself craving something familiar and comforting. I had recently gotten all of my books out of storage in preparation for the move (I have no proper bookshelf in my current room and lots lots of books) and I discovered this incredible sense of calm as I stacked the books all around me. Familiar covers and titles surrounded me and it made me feel content.

I love rereading books. Some people don't and I can't understand it. But then they would say the same for me. See, to me, these books are not just familiar stories and characters. They are an escape to a different world that I can disappear to whenever I want. They're an inspiration for my own ideas. They're one of the few constants I had growing up as my family moved four times to different states. They are a symbol of the memory I have reading them the first time; how the book made me feel and what I was like when I first read it. They're just...home. They're friends. They're practically family in some cases.

On that note. No offense to Brandon Sanderson, but I think David Eddings will always be my favorite author. Don't get me wrong. Sanderson is FANTASTIC and it's my dream to meet him myself some day. His books are amazing and awe-inspiring. But David Eddings, man. Something about his books just...I can't even explain it adequately, but let me try.

I first read David Eddings when I was in about fifth or sixth grade I think. I remember trying to read it when I was in fourth grade, but I wasn't ready for it I guess. My mother gave me her copy of Pawn of Prophecy. It was held together with Scotch tape and love. I mean you have never seen a more beat up book before. And all five of the Belgariad series were like that. The covers were scratched and edges of pages were tattered.

The reason for this is part of why these books are so special to me. My mother and my older brother both love David Eddings as well. They had read them before I did, multiple times. That's why the books were so destroyed. Books were not mean to sit on a shelf and look pretty. They were meant to be read and they were meant to be loved. I cannot understand why some people insist on keeping their books in mint condition. A perfect-looking book is all great and all, but when a book has been read dozens of times by different people, it starts to tell two stories. I am kind of discounting library books here though. Yeah they get beat up too, but because they are passed around so many different homes. When a book has been destroyed by just one family, it starts to tell the story of the people who read it.

I'm not telling you to destroy your books or to mistreat them. I definitely do not condone that. I try not to spill anything on them, and I am loathe to dog ear pages. This is not about deliberate misuse and abuse of books. I currently live with my sister's family and her three young daughters; I know what book destruction looks like and I shudder at it. But well-loved books I wholeheartedly encourage.

This is the part where I get a little weird, so if you want to skip this, I'll let you know when the weirdness has ended.

The other thing I love about David Edding's books (and this is still just the physical appearance of the books. I'll get to the actual content in a little bit), is the smell. I know, you book lovers out there all know that old books smell good. There is just something about those yellowed pages. But the David Edding's books have their own unique smell to them in my mind. It's probably some sort of crazy association thing, but I am telling you. My own copies of the Belgariad series were new when I got them, but the pages are still that delicious yellowish color and they smells amazing. A couple of night ago I was feeling especially vulnerable and panicky so I picked up my copy of Pawn of Prophecy and I swear to you, I didn't even read anything that night. Yes, it was late and I was on Nyquill as I'm battling a small cold, but as soon as I cracked that spine open, that smell overwhelmed me and calmed me immediately. It made me feel like a kid again, when the world was wide open to me and not in a terrifying way. It reminded me of every single time I have read those books (and I read them at least once a year). It's not something I can describe or justify. I might just be crazy. But my only defense is...well, this might make me crazier. In the episode "Smell of Success" in the tragically short-lived show Pushing Daisies, the science of olfactory is discussed. Essentially that certain smells can affect the human brain in different ways. I can testify that this is true. I know they have a perfume that is supposed to smell like paper, but I doubt it replicates what makes Eddings' books so special to me.

Oh and although I am way less harsh about my stance on ebooks and totally think they're a fine way to read and stuff, I do think a major drawback is the lack of smell. Even new books smell nice.

OK WEIRDNESS OVER HELLO PEOPLE I AM NORMAL AND SANE.

Here's the thing. Was David Eddings (well really David and Leigh) the best writer ever? No. The most original? Not really, no. Even some of his later novels start to feel derivative of himself after a while. But that's part of what makes them great. They're not trying to be crazy original and stand out from the crowd, at least plot wise. You know the end of the story after the prologue of the first book of the Belgariad. These books were written in the 80s, and they were simple and seriously predictable.

But dang if they weren't entertaining. The characters are all fantastic and engaging and the dialogue is insanely witty. I fully blame Eddings for my dry sense of humor, along with the fact that I have always been a fan of British things. I cry when characters die and I laugh when they say something funny. I've read these books like ten times and I still do it. In fact, at the end of his series The Elenium, I found myself crying and laughing at myself for crying. It's so dumb that I do it but only because it's sooo saaaaad. I am adult.

What's my point? I don't know. I honestly got distracted after finishing that last paragraph and completely lost my train of thought. I probably had more nice things to say about David Eddings, but I'll sum it up as this: The fact that I will never meet Mr. or Mrs. Eddings in my lifetime will always fill me with deep sadness.

My love of books is not quantifiable, justifiable, or even rational. I am in possession of over 200 books at the moment, and that will always be a growing number. One of my goals for this month is to make a list of my books so I can keep track of them. Most....eh probably very nearly all of them are fantasy novels. Some are children's books, some are young adult, some are adult. I also have a small (30~) collection on my tablet right now. I can't even say that I've read all of the books that I own. I recently inherited a bunch of classics from my mom that I haven't read yet that I probably should have read as an English major. I will probably never read all the things I want to read, but I will always reread things I already love.

My love of books is not something that someone who doesn't read will understand. Those who read will probably get it, but I feel like reading is such a personal thing that everyone's experiences and feelings are different, even when reading the same book. It's why I don't feel comfortable being part of a fandom for a specific author or book. But that is something I will save for a different post because this one is already all over the place.

Thanks for reading! Hope I haven't scared you off yet! Tomorrow might be a further discussion on why no movie or TV show based on a book is ever good enough.