Reason 25

Do you have a favorite book?

Mine is 'Oh the Places You Will Go' followed closely by 'Tuesdays With Morrie' and a long list of werewolf and other fiction.

What makes that or those books your favorite?

I love to read 'Oh the Places You Will Go' to my class while laying splayed on the floor (sometimes I'll read it to them while sitting with my legs up the wall to be extra silly. They dig it.) I remember the book making me feel like the world was so easily accessible and that I could absolutely without a doubt do anything, even if I failed. It was brutally honest about how much time I would spend alone and about all the hang-ups and bang-ups that would occur along the way. Those things were temporary, just like all the waiting you have to do. When I read it now, I feel hope that my kids are feeling as infinite as I did. That they are hungry for exploration and creating their best self.

I remember having to read 'Tuesdays with Morrie' in high school. We read it around the time that my uncle was slowly being eaten by cancer. I remember needing that book to grieve because I was an angsty teenager that couldn't be emotional around my parents, who seemed to barely grieve his loss at all. I made notes in all the all margins and clung to "love is the only rational act". No matter what happened I needed to stay kind and love others. This isn't an easily achieved thing and I can look back on all the ways I strayed and fell from this mentality, only to find my way back with time. Grieving is a vital process to humans and yet so few of us are able to truly grieve or even love. I feel that everyone should make the time to have squiz, even if it's just the spark notes.

For me, reading is an adventure. It can be a way to grow and learn while having to be in "the waiting place" but also it is a form of escapism. When life gets a bit too real, I can tap out for a little while and be someone else. My favorite has been Elaina Michaels, the only female werewolf, who kicks ass and takes names as all women should. I think a lot of people can relate to her struggle with trying to live out her desires, while the universe tells her 'I'm sorry that is not what is best for you".

Currently, I have been dragging out this amazing book, "Orphan, Monster, Spy" because I honestly do not want the story to end. I am impressed at how well a male author was able to write and create such a strong female character. I love slipping out of New Zealand and into 1940's Germany (I have always been a huge WWII nerd and this book really puts you into the setting). Reading history books and non-fiction about that era educates me but there is always this gap, like a window you can peer into or the velvet ropes at the museum that keep you at a distance, which prevents you from really experiencing the moments.

Movies are great and all but they take away the freedom of your imagination. One of the worst feelings is when they finally make a movie/series out of your favorite book and the characters are nothing like you imagined, leaving you to ask "how the fuck did they get this from what was in the book?" Reading is truly an immersive activity that can give life so much perspective.

So tell me, what is your favorite book? And why?

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