World Book Day 2019. Books are Friends (so i’m told!)

Today is World Book Day! A day like this gets me thinking about what it really means to me. I often find that I have a love/hate relationships with books. Whilst people say they “love to escape into the world of a good book” I simply cannot relate to this! I find my mind wanders off from focusing on a book; never finding myself drawn into the narrative. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve resented books; feeling repelled to pick one up. They feel heavy to me, and I feel heavy with the responsibility of reading them, and embracing the story to its fullest. I can count on one hand how many books I’ve read all the way through, and that’s something I am not proud of. 

I woke up this morning, and instead of spending up to an hour wasting time, scrolling through social media and watching ‘Ariana Grande’s top 10 vocals’ for the millionth time… I read! I have books lying around my room and in cupboards just piling up, waiting to be read. I have one book that I’ve been keen to finish, called ‘A Grief Observed’ by C.S. Lewis that sits on my bedside table. If I’m being honest, I can’t entirely relate to it, so I am not entirely drawn into the words. But reading about something so honest and real really drew me in. So I spent this morning sitting there, not clock watching, and just read at my own pace, and it was LUSH!

The 4 images I shared at the beginning of this post were ones that I feel most honestly show my connection to books. The first being from a recent wedding stylised shoot; creating a ‘Love Story’/’Storybook Ending’ theme, which I have recently come to experience and love having in my life greatly. The second is one with one of my best friends Dani, who is holding a book my grandad gave to me before he passed away; its an old photo album that I truly treasure having. 

The third is one I took right after a really hard breakup last year. I wanted to turn myself into a magical story. I wanted to show myself feeling little, and that my story became overbearing to me. The last is one I don’t think I’ve shared before, but created many moons ago! It is a true reflection of my relationship to books in that I often feel trapped whilst reading, like it’s an obligation to do so; trapped between the pages of story, simply waiting for the final chapters to set me free.

I am still wanting to find time to read more, and make it apart of may daily routines, and find books that I can really sink into! Any suggestions and your opinions on books would be greatly appreciated! <3