I Love Books

I wonder if those of you who have always been avid readers during your whole lives have more or less read the same kinds of books, or swung from one genre and author to another.

I definitely belong to the latter. I used to love poetry, but, although I will never renege on my favorite poets, it looks like an ego trip to me now, as though the poet is talking to himself, not to a hypothetical reader.

I used to be fond of prophets of the absurd like Kafka or Beckett, but now I do not need at all to be remember of how meaningless the world is.

Nowadays I mostly enjoy authors like Chesterton, Gomez Dávila, Bernanos, Mauriac. Those who enjoy labels call them 'reactionary' or 'Catholic'. I call them my people, those I feel close to.

I don't read books to learn, discover, travel...any more. I want my readings to be like talks with good friends.

I have travelled wide, now I want to travel deep.

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JustNik · 51-55, F

Books are my escape, so I don’t have much for nonfiction around the house. I like mysteries and fantasy and historical fiction, romance if it doesn’t make my eyes roll too much and ...drama I guess we’d call it? Those books that just tell a story and feel like life. My father was always more narrow - war, native americans, mountain men, and westerns. But we exchange books sometimes and broaden each others’ horizons just a bit. I’ve been working on more “classics” the last couple years. The titles and authors I’d heard of all my life but never read. All of a sudden it seemed like a fun idea to see what kept them remembered for so long. I find in my current place in life, my book must be what I need at the time. It can’t stress me if I’m already stressed or be too sad if I’m already sad etc. I never used to be so difficult and hope I revert back eventually.

Cierzo · M

@JustNik In my case, the amount of fiction I read is decreasing with time, and the amount of non fiction increasing. I find less and less stories relatable to the way I feel.

Books are my escape too, but they used to be more of an escape from myself, and now they are an escape from the outside world.