Autobiography of a Reader
My friends describe reading as just people staring at words inked on pieces of dead tree, but I think reading is so much more than that. To them, it is silent, boring, and lifeless. But to me, reading has never been just words on a page. It is joy, adventure, it is escape. If you close your eyes for a moment, I can show you what reading feels like to me; not just letters or words, but an adventure where I am the hero, the princess, the assassin, or the silent observer watching the world unfold before me.
Imagine the air whipping against your face as you cling to the saddle of a dragon, your fingers numb as you silently beg something to pull up in time before the gorge swallows you whole. Imagine creeping through a city in the pitch of night, melting into the shadows as you search to see if there are any hidden secrets in the dark streets of Ketterdam. Imagine running through a deadly maze, your lungs burning, listening for the whispers of magic only you can hear, fighting through every obstacle to save your friends before time runs out.² This is what reading is to me. It is stepping into another reality, one where I can explore new worlds, fight battles, and live a thousand lives without ever leaving the comfort of my bed.
Now, reading has become more than just a hobby: it has also become an escape. For the past few years, books have been my way of traveling the world without leaving the comfort of my bed. While others may despise reading, I feel excitement every time I open a book, knowing I am about to step into a new story. Knowing I will become someone else for a moment, someone with different battles and worries than my own. Reading is where I go to have fun and experience danger, magic, and adventures with things not on this earth.
Reading has also shaped who I am creatively. It has taught me how to write my own fantasy stories, how to slow down, and how to add detail in order for the moment to envelop readers, as I felt when reading my favorite authors. Every story I read leaves a mark or big impact on me, guiding me on how I imagine, create, and even dream. In the end, reading is not just something I do. These are the places I go. When the world feels too loud or too small, books open doors I didn't even know were there. Between those pages, I am brave, curious, and free. And as long as stories exist, I will always have a place to go, one page at a time.
But it was not always like this. Once upon a time, I despised reading. I saw it the same way many of my friends do now: an assignment to conquer, a chore made of boring words on a page. For as long as I can remember, the only book I truly liked as a little kid was the one where the main character shared my name. Looking back now, I realized that even then, I loved stories where I could step into someone else's life and live alongside them in a fictional world. I just did not have the words for it yet.
According to my mom, I found my way back to reading around sixth grade. That was when I discovered the world created by author Lisa McMann. Around the same time, I discovered the Libby app, an online library that allowed me to borrow books and audiobooks. Suddenly, stories were everywhere, waiting for me. Lisa McMann’s Unwanteds series became a turning point in my life, introducing me to the Stowe twins, the bleak world of Quill, and the magical land of Artimé. Over the course of seven books, I followed the twins through battles, friendships, betrayals, and devastating losses. Through them, I learned that reading was not about finishing pages, but about experiencing feelings I cannot even name now.
The Unwanteds series changed how I saw books forever. When I read, I was no longer myself. I could pretend I was standing beside the characters, fighting alongside them, hoping with them, and working toward peace in their world. A movie was unfolding in my mind. Reading stopped being something I had to do and became something I wanted to do.
