by Kelsey Mckernan

Created on: December 09, 2008

I read to escape the turmoils and stresses of my everyday life. I know it sounds cliche, but it's the truth. Whether it's saving myself from boredom at the office, or curling up at the end of a long day to relax, I read to escape.

Whether it's a fantasy world where dreams become reality or simply reading on another person's personal experiences or life, reading fascinates me. Sure there's the cold hard fact that the more you read, the better your diction, grammar and all that jazz gets. Sure thats great, but it doesn't fulfill me like a great story does. I've been an avid reader since I was old enough to, I guess that's going on 18 years now for me. I remember being read to as a child, and it opened my mind and spirit up to all the possibilities of life. Whether it was a fictional story I would get lost in, or books based on real events, reading has always been a part of my life. I've gone through many transitions of reading from childhood books like the ever popular Goosebumps series that were my absolute favorite as a kid. I swear I went through those books like candy. R.L. Stine was feeding my ever-growing mind with all of his crazy stories about creepy occurrences in kids like me. The stories lured me in like a fish and they only made my thirst for books grow.

High school reading was mostly books for projects and not so much pleasure. Although high school introduced me to the great works of Shakespeare and Chaucer (which inspired my major in college). I found the language enticing and enthralling. It was like a language of love and life in another world. I loved reading about the different characters of Macbeth and the forbidden love of Romeo and Juliet. Then there were the culturally diverse characters of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. It really opened your eyes to how the uniqueness of writing styles have changed over time.

College reading transitioned from high school on a more serious level. I encased myself in the world of British, Asian, and philosophical literature which challenged my thought and my being down to the core. Reading theories of great thinkers of the world and their beliefs in literary criticism, god, love, and pretty much anything imaginable whisked me away from real world problems. Nitcheze, Socrates, Freud, they all had me from the get go. I became obsessed with finding meaning to my own life as the way they did in their theories. Their words made me question everything and anything I came in contact with. and surprisingly enough, I loved every minute of it!

With college having ended, my reading now has become purely for pleasure. I feel like I'm reading the way I did when I was a child getting lost in the stories and plots to other places. Sometimes I have to stop and snap myself back into reality. That's when you know you're lost in a great book.

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