5 Benefits of Reading a Great Book

One of my Book Journals

Just now I’m getting back into reading wonderful fiction. Last week I finally read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant and currently Paris by Edward Rutherfurd is occupying my evenings.

I know, I know. I’m an author and should be reading all the time.  Well, I am. It’s just that much of what I read is books about writing and research books for my novels.

The irony is huge, isn’t it? Before I started turning out novels, I read voraciously. No matter how many essays I marked or lessons I prepared, I always read fiction at night for at least thirty minutes before turning out the light. And now, as often as not, at night I play with my iPad for about ten minutes and then sleep.

So when do I read fiction?

Well, sometimes I don’t. And that saddens me. I’ve even stopped writing comments about all the books I read in my book journal.

This summer I decided to change all that. The tall stack by on my night table just got so large I had to do something about it. And, guess what! I have a new habit. In the afternoon after my computer has lost its appeal and my eyes start to flutter, I find my book and the couch and I read. The world opens up just for me.

1. I learn about something or somewhere I never knew before. Rutherfurd’s books on Ireland were wonderful and made my trip there so much richer. I’ll never forget leaning over the case in Trinity College library which held the actual Book of Kells, illuminated by monks in ancient times.
2. Whatever is happening in my life takes a back seat to the riveting story I find in the pages. A wonderful release that is, especially when kids are hollering or televisions blaring. I just go off by myself and escape into another world.
3. Reading good books makes for great conversation when socializing. And, of course, now that I’m speaking to so many groups about my own books, the titles of favourite books often come up. Being able to discuss a book I’ve loved with others does two things: it shows me others who like what I like, and it often teaches me something new about a book I’ve read.
4. As a writer I am always watching to see how another author has worked his/her behind-the-scenes magic to create literature. And this is a learning thing for me, often showing me how I might solve one of my own writing problems. Oh, I don’t mean I plagiarize, but the techniques are there to be learned.
5. I love to see words or phrases an author has used in an unusual way. These add texture to the story every bit as much as the plot, characters, and setting. Of course the trick is to use my own creativity and do something unique in my own writing without having those phrases interrupt my storytelling.

Now that I’ve reminded you of the glories of reading, I must go and pick up Paris again.

 

For All Lovers of Historical Fiction

Available Now: The Loyalist’s Wife, the first book in The Loyalist Trilogy

by Elaine Cougler, winner of the WCDR 2014 Pay It Forward Scholarship

Purchase The Loyalist’s Wife on Amazon here.