The beginning of a good friendship
Has to have books, and with me and Aurora was no different.
It all started with Beowulf by J. R. R. Tolkien in a very old staff room. This shared love and enthusiasm for Tolkien's works created a bond between two work colleagues in such a short period of time that in normal conditions it would have taken weeks, if not months to sparkle the minimal amount of interest (let's face it, how often do people at work really bond?!).
Shortly after, it came the day I was presented with a wrapped gift. It was not my birthday, Christmas was quite far off and I hadn't accomplished anything worth celebrating. Wrapped inside was The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. It is Aurora's favorite book and she has the peculiarity of offering it to those who earn a special place in her heart. Needless to say that I devoured the book and Neil Gaiman became one of my favorite writers.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane tells the story of a middle-aged man that returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral and is drawn to the farm at the end of the road where he met a girl when he was seven. For me, The Ocean at the End of the Lane tells the story of two work colleagues that all they wanted to do during their free time was eat and read books and, once the current book was finished, share opinions with each other. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is not a book - it is friendship.
Books have the magic power of creating an alternative world where anything is possible and is a refuge to reality. This form of escapism not only improves imagination, but also allows for the creation of a very intimate space where we can take refuge in times of need.
We are the books we read and the books we read are more than just words printed on paper. They are the day they were read, the place, the state of mind and their surroundings.
Books tell their story through readers and readers reveal themselves through books. With this thought in mind, and with my brain still fueled by the adrenaline of the Good Omens premiere, I decided to create this space: a space to write about the pleasure of reading a book for the pleasure of reading it; a space to write about how one feels after reading a book and how that feeling changes when reading it again 10 years in the future; a space to share not the book, but what the book represents.
So, please, welcome to my refuge and feel free to share your stories.
It all started with Beowulf by J. R. R. Tolkien in a very old staff room. This shared love and enthusiasm for Tolkien's works created a bond between two work colleagues in such a short period of time that in normal conditions it would have taken weeks, if not months to sparkle the minimal amount of interest (let's face it, how often do people at work really bond?!).
Shortly after, it came the day I was presented with a wrapped gift. It was not my birthday, Christmas was quite far off and I hadn't accomplished anything worth celebrating. Wrapped inside was The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. It is Aurora's favorite book and she has the peculiarity of offering it to those who earn a special place in her heart. Needless to say that I devoured the book and Neil Gaiman became one of my favorite writers.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane tells the story of a middle-aged man that returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral and is drawn to the farm at the end of the road where he met a girl when he was seven. For me, The Ocean at the End of the Lane tells the story of two work colleagues that all they wanted to do during their free time was eat and read books and, once the current book was finished, share opinions with each other. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is not a book - it is friendship.
Books have the magic power of creating an alternative world where anything is possible and is a refuge to reality. This form of escapism not only improves imagination, but also allows for the creation of a very intimate space where we can take refuge in times of need.
We are the books we read and the books we read are more than just words printed on paper. They are the day they were read, the place, the state of mind and their surroundings.
Books tell their story through readers and readers reveal themselves through books. With this thought in mind, and with my brain still fueled by the adrenaline of the Good Omens premiere, I decided to create this space: a space to write about the pleasure of reading a book for the pleasure of reading it; a space to write about how one feels after reading a book and how that feeling changes when reading it again 10 years in the future; a space to share not the book, but what the book represents.
So, please, welcome to my refuge and feel free to share your stories.
Comments
Post a Comment