Bingeing is for the young. No, I'm not talking about binge drinking or eating until you barf. I'm talking about a habit that sends you into a world not your own, where you meet people that you never would have met, and find yourself in situations you never thought you'd be in.
I'm talking about the ultimate binge habit. The one I crave still but just can't find the energy to persevere through until dawn.
Reading. ALL NIGHT LONG. Just can't stop. Can't put it down. One more chapter. One more scene. One more... page, and then I'll turn off the light and go to sleep. I promise.
I don't know the number of nights I read for hours after everyone else was asleep. My high school and college days are a blur. The party was long over for everyone else, but I read on... and on. Binge reading like a boss. OR a student of the written word. Fiction, that is.
I don't think I could have gotten through those long boring classes of Science, Algebra, and whatever else they were teaching, without a good book hiding behind my textbook. My fictional world taught me more than those heavy hardback textbooks ever could. Where was the prose, the tension building plots, the red herrings, the protagonist's inner struggle? History is so "just the facts, Ma'am."
When a fiction writer takes a piece of history and turns it into a story, then the magic happens. These days, the younglings that we birthed, stay up till all hours, bingeing inane and badly written television series that have been refried, rebooted, and written to appease the weak woke underbelly of our society. Total garbage.
Instead, they could be devouring awesome stories that would keep them up nights and instead of feeling like they'd wasted hours of their life that they'll never get back, they'd feel exuberant and want to share the joy and satisfaction they had in the book they just finished. Best choice scenario: By leaving a written online review. Or, just by sharing their love of the book with their family, friends, workmates, and strangers over lunch or their breaks or on a date or by texting or in line at Walmart.
Many people have never read a good book, so they have no idea what they are missing. On the one hand, I feel very sorry for them. But on the other hand, I think their idiots.
I enjoy watching shows on television too, but there is definitely a shortage of good writing with most of what is available. Sometimes, the only reason I make it through an entire show is because I like the actor portraying the lead, when in fact, the plot is inane, and the dialogue is infantile. It's absolutely heartrending.
Don't waste your life or your sleepless nights.
Read a good book!
If you haven't noticed, along the side of this blog there is a list of books I'm reading for the month. When I'm done I leave a star review next to them. Just in case you are looking for suggestions. Or, you're just curious to know what I'm reading:)
Ps. If you've read any of my novels, I would so appreciate you leaving a review at the online store of your choice.
Please take a minute and leave a comment to share the last book you read that made you want to stay up late and keep reading. (No judgement here if you were unable to stay awake. The desire is what matters:)
Thanks for stopping!
Barbara
