Spent my first friday of 2012 with The Dharma Bums.

I can't put this book down. Well, I suppose that isn't entirely true because right now, in this very moment, I am typing my first post and listening to The Warlocks. (A new band I discovered within the last few days that I've grown fond of.) I will post later on this week once I reach my 150 page goal. Which should be soon because I practically suffer withdrawal when I am not reading this book.

I've always loved to read. I'm sure tons of people say that and don't really live up to it, but I really do. I have a vivid imagination so reading helps me to use it and I can almost physically feel myself getting so into the book that I see the word that's in text. I can easily put myself in the characters situation and feel the setting. BUT I am picky about what I read. If I can't get into the book, it's hard for me to focus and I find myself reading lines over and over again and still not understanding the plot. I love buying books. My parents like that I do but sometimes I go over board with it. When most people go on vacations, they buy t-shirts or coffee mugs from where they go, but I always seem to find myself in a local bookstore scoping out sales. I'm real big on local too. I try to stay away from the big, name brand book stores, and just big names in general. I grew up in Montessori education so I found myself spending more time reading than doing my required work, but it never became a problem. Reading was an entirely a positive experience for me, sometimes it was just hard to find the time to read. The only problem I really encountered was when we were assigned books in school that I didn't like, it was nearly impossible for me to understand simply because I had no interest in it. When I was younger I loved harry potter but most of the books I read were historic fiction or paranormal. I still like those now but I've more gravitated towards 'finding yourself' or biographies. Sometimes reading a biography on someone I look up to can really change how I feel about them since I am understanding who they truly are rather than the perfect picture painted by fame. It's hard to explain my literary tendencies because they're all over the place. I don't like pop-lit, chick-lit, fairy tales or sci-fi though. I think it's mostly because I can't connect to them and I like realism and depth in my books. I'm not a real social person so reading kind of makes me feel like I'm not just an empty vessel. Sort of like, it takes me somewhere when I'm really in the comfort of somewhere else. When it rains I love to sit on my porch and read. Best feeling in the world. I think the certain books I so read, help to form who I am only because I don't like those popular kid, rude, bad influence books that seem to be popular now. I try to stay realistic and positive with everything I read even if the realism is a bit deep. Reading is the best form of entertainment if I'm stuck indoors and they're awesome for when I'm traveling because they're easy to carry.