Hi all. For today I have a bit of a controversial topic in mind for you. As the title suggests, in today's post I am going to discuss the fact that I think that I haven't read my all-time favourite book yet. This may sound weird because I do have 'favourites', however, I am talking about the best book that I think is ever written. Let's just get into it!
Okay, so like I said, I do have favourite books. For example, I am a big fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Yet, this is not a book (series) that I would recommend to my boyfriend for example or my mother. Besides, there are some things that could have been done better and I am aware of that. But I still love the story and the characters a lot. It is just not my all-time favourite book.
Another example, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This book is dear to me because it was the first book I ever read in English. I like the world and the story and mostly the perspective from Katniss a lot in the books. But, they are not my favourite books, I do not come back to them often, I don't even own a copy of them...
Maybe it is just because I am too critical or perfectionistic. Or maybe I haven't read enough books yet. I think it's the latter.
Let me explain; in my life, I have already read many books. However, I think that most of these were during my years in primary school. With my friend we were on a reading train and read many, many books. Now, about 10 years later (!), I cannot remember most of the books I read back then, besides, all those books were written in Dutch and, of course, written for children. During secondary school I let go of this reading flow and focussed on other things, I didn't take the time to read more, I thought I didn't like it that much. But oh boy, I was wrong. The books I read during secondary school (for my own pleasure), I often enjoyed. Then, I think 7 years ago, I found my love for fantasy books and fae.
Sometimes I feel like, many of the books I have read in my life do not really matter. Even though I know that this is not true, because even those children's books did have value to me back then, I still feel like I slacked too many years. That that is the reason why I only discovered some major series just recently (or not yet at all). Maybe this is just my perfectionistic brain writing this, but I feel like I am behind. On others, on myself? I think on myself, I think that I wanted to be 'further' ahead right now. But I am where I am.
This turned into a very philosophical post very fast, I'm sorry this was not my intention. But I think that I gave you a clear look into my brain (i think maybe not). The reason that I am typing this post is to explain why I am not sharing my most favourite book everywhere on the internet. I think that I have still SO MUCH to read that I am still in search of this book. Maybe I will never read it. Maybe it is already on my shelf but I haven't realised it yet.
Since I started this blog and my bookstagram, I, sometimes, feel overwhelmed with the number of books that have been written and are still being written. I am now 20, let's say I still have 60 years left of my life if I am lucky maybe more, but that means that I have 60 years left to read books. My goal for this year was to read 50 books. If I do this every year for these 60 years that means that I can read 3000 books before I die. For many, this probably sounds like a lot, but in my head, I'm like, only 3000 of all the books that are written and will be written, this is too little. I know that I am dramatizing this a bit, but that is just my perspective on things. I feel like I want to read them all, but I know that I can't. My life does not only exist in books, but there are also other things too.
Lastly, I want to become a published author, this is my dream. I think that since I decided I wanted this I have become more critical to the books I read. I am still reading for pleasure, but I also want to know how writers did certain things, how they set up a specific scene. Not to copy, but to learn. I am still improving my English, through my blog, my studies, but also through the books I read, social media, films and shows. Looking at specific word-choices helps a lot to improve my English. When writing (a post or an essay, etc.) I am always looking up synonyms to vary my text and to expand my vocabulary.
I think that I am sometimes just amazed by the fact that people my age have already read a 1000 books or that Mary Shelley, for example, wrote Frankenstein when she was 19. I know I shouldn't compare these things, but like the human that I am, I do sometimes. I do not hate myself for it, but it does make me think.
That is it for today, I hope you enjoyed my little (philosophical?) rant, haha. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post, as always, I will see you soon in the next one!
Love,
Julia
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