There and Back Again - A Readers Journey

Welcome! I am your storyteller, Fawkes McShea. Thank you for coming.

Before we begin, Id like to introduce myself - its always a good idea for one to know their travel partners, even if the journey is only literary and even if it nothing more than pure imagination. We all saw what happened to Alice on her acid fueled traveled through Wonderland. Well this, my readers, is no Wonderland, but - to channel Gene Wilder - it is a world of pure imagination. Here, I will review books and present my personal opinions on the works. No politics, no agenda, just a simple book fan discussing this different stories that happen to cross her path. If you are a bookworm I welcome you and encourage you to share your opinions on the presented reading material. If you aren't a big reader, Im still glad you're here - maybe I can inspire you to visit your local library or second-hand bookstore.

I wasn't born a reader. Honestly, when I was little, I much preferred Saturday morning cartoons and nickelodeon to Paddington Bear or The Babysitters Club. But my mother never gave up - she always read me stories and eventually bought be a Teddy Ruxspin. For those of you that are too young to remember who or what a Teddy Ruxspin was - picture a friendly, educational version of Chucky, in Bear form. You would put a cassette tape (yeah cassettes, Im old whatever) into Teddy and he would read to you while you followed along in the matching book. I loved it, I cuddled up with Teddy every night and began reading stories to my stuffed animals.

But just because I decided reading wasn't a chore, did not mean I immediately transformed from a non-reading catipillar into a the cute little bookworm I am today. I read on and off until middle school when Harry Potter came into my life. I picked up the book randomly, not knowing what I had grabbed and started reading the first chapter. I thought it was crazy and couldnt wrap my head around a weirdo talking cat that somehow a lady and old man and a baby on a doorstep. WTF is this mate - this may not be for kids. But I stuck with it and eventually JK Rowling and her intricately beautiful world sucked me in.

I cannot pinpoint the time when I can say poof - then I woke up and was a reader. Books started to consume my life gradually, like things always do on that show Hoarders. It became a favorite past-time and in college I started reading the harder stuff - Dickens, Jane Austen, Dumas, Shakespeare. I even had one unsuccessful attempt at Don Quixote. I started to get jokes on the Simpsons and Family Guy. I started to sleep better on nights I read before bed instead of staring at a smart phone. I was able to go on adventures far and wide - leaving the mundane of everyday life and becoming a super hero, or a villain, or a princess, or a dog, for just a little while.

Reading has broadened my horizons and open every new book as if I was setting forth on an exciting adventure. Some books were more tedious than others, but I came away from every story learning something new. I hope you'll continue on with me towards the next big adventure for in every story we can find a little piece of ourselves.