reader's digest

i love reading.

quite a loaded statement, you might say. but those who know me wouldn't be surprised. i love reading and i read a lot. not only books, in fact. magazines, newspapers, comic books, even textbooks as long as they have stories, i read. as well as signs, billboard ads and the like. if i'm not asleep on the bus or vehicle, then i'm sure to be reading the names of stores (especially those really quirky ones) or traffic signs (no parking on both sides stuff!*&).

love reading: means never leaving the house without a book in my purse. it means i read while eating alone. i read while waiting for someone. i read while i'm standing in line at the supermarket. i read in the bathroom. and i have been reading avidly since i was 9, i guess. the only difference now and then is that before, when i lay down and had a book to read, i wouldn't want to sleep until i finished the book. but now, after 2 or 3 chapters, it makes me want to sleep. the sign of the times...

i will never forget the first time i was in national bookstore in manila. i don't quite remember where, cubao perhaps. but i do remember what i made my father buy. it was beauty and the beast and jack and the beanstalk. i will never forget the slim, green hardbound books i owned. if i'm not mistaken, it's still in our house somewhere or to be precise, at the back of our house where my mom keeps most of my books.

my reading has evolved over time. before reading meant fairy tales, the archie comics to sweet valley twins, sweet dreams until i moved on to reading nancy drew, danielle steel and stephen king, jonathan kellerman etc. my taste in reading varies actually. i reach a point when i'd be reading super sappy love stories. my sappy-meter is based on whether it made me cry or not. usually i don't. oh and by the way, i skip those "making love" part. i simply just don't appreciate that stuff. i wonder why... hmmm...

of course, i also like suspense, mystery, detective plots. i know there are countless authors out there that i can hardly keep up.

but now, i'm more practical. i no longer buy those super expensive books. my quota is about 200. the cheaper the better. unless of course its harry potter ( although my only hardbound copy is the last one, much too costly!) my chronicles of narnia and the lord of the rings. i haven't gotten around to buying the twilight series yet. i frequent bargain stores, although sometimes their covers are quite old and the pages are yellowed. but who cares?

and i'm sure my reading will never end. until my eyesight fails me. which is pretty much a long way off. yes, i do have eyeglasses already. i hate contact lenses because i'm too lazy. even those with extended wear is a hassle for me because it sometimes dries my eyes. i guess as long as there are books to read, then i sure will keep on reading...