My take on: Unlocking Worlds

"....what matters is the experience of a book, whether that book blossoms in our imaginations, whether we connect with the characters, whether the events in the story resonate, inspiring us to think and feel." --Pg. xix

This quote from Unlocking Worlds by Sally Allen, got me thinking about why I read.

I work in book publishing, so I read everyday as part of my job. But even if it wasn't part of job, I would still be reading. I read for enjoyment. I read for an escape from the daily grind. I read because it's often better than watching television. I read because I love it.

Unlocking Worlds: A Reading Companion for Book Lovers is made for people who love books. For people who love the journey books can take them.

"Being a reader is about taking the time to have a conversation with a book, to give it my devoted time and attention, to value the efforts of its creator, to seek connection with others who have engaged in this same conversation" --Pg. 193.

Yes, to this a thousand times. As a reader, I know a lot of thought and work is put into every book that I read. Subconsciously, that's probably why it's always so hard for me to walk away from a book. I go into every book believing I will love it, but obviously that's not always the case.

In the case of Unlocking Worlds, I did enjoy the book. The book is broken into several sections, including Novels that Play with Time and Space, Novels About Connection, Community and Family, and of course Books for Book Lovers. Reading about the author's own experiences reading certain books made me a bit nostalgic. I feel like I need to read Charlotte's Web by E.B. White again. I'm quite certain I read it in second grade, and there's no way I was having deep thoughts about it back then. All I remember is that it's about a pig and a spider. Obviously, it's about more than that but I feel like I would appreciate a book about friendship much more as an adult than as a child. I loved Kindred by Octavia Butler for it's storyline. In that book, a woman in an interracial marriage time travels back to slavery. I read Kindred over the course of a 10-hour car trip. I wasn't reading it from a sci-fi perspective, but I'm thinking maybe I should re-read it. There are so many things one can miss the first time around, sometimes it's worth it to read books a second time.

Definitely read this book if you're looking for your next read. Definitely read this book if you love books about books. Definitely read this book if you just love reading. It's short and sweet.

Rating: Superb

Note: I received a copy of the boom from Smith Publicity in exchange for an honest review.