Booklust. Wanderlust. These are two of my most favorite words because together they evoke my passions of reading books voraciously and of discovering new (to me) places (or revisiting beloved ones). These words will fuel this blog about books and the magical ability they have to transport and the adventures they inspire.
To me, “literary transportation” means several things:
- Traveling – When I go somewhere, I like to take a deep-dive into the literature that evokes it and is from there, or explore the area that inspired the author. “Literary tourism” is, I think, the trendy term for it now, but this is pretty much how I’ve always traveled. Sometimes I read a book before I go somewhere, through either intentional preparation or just serendipity, and sometimes being someplace will create an urgency within me to learn about the place through the books that have been set there.
- Exploring world-building — The setting is one thing, and sometimes it’s arguably the most important “character” of any book. My favorite novelists are really fantastic at creating a multi-sensory experience, either through their characters and how they interact with their world or by describing and using “place” profoundly in their writing. Even authors who have entirely created from scratch an imaginative and immersive new world or a brand new way of looking at one we think we know, if they’re successful, it’s still someplace you want to go. Whether or not you can literally exist there, breathe the air, take in the essence of a world, and walk around its landmarks, it’s become a real place. — even if you can only travel there in your imagination. I think the English major in me wants to dissect this magic just a wee bit, so I bet this is something you can expect to see in this blog.
- Reading wherever you are – I have favorite places to read in my house, my yard, my community, and so on, but as someone who likes to use every stolen or idle moment for reading, I’m always finding new “wheres” to read. And I always want to find new ones (see wanderlust, above!) Lately, though, I’ve noticed that my book journal often includes the reading experience I had and how it was affected by where I was while reading (or where I was driving if I listened to a book instead). Sometimes my journal also includes how focused I was on the story, or how “into” it I was, where its setting reminds me of, or even the context of why I chose that book. There are also just places that are filled with books, like libraries and book stores, and these are my homes even though I don’t (unfortunately) live in them. I’ve also occasionally discovered a “where” that includes books, even though they shouldn’t logically be there — and who doesn’t love a good book surprise? All of this, in my mind, is very much related to ReadingWhere, so expect to see it here.
Most posts will fit into one of these ideas. As with any new venture, I reserve the right to figure this out as I go, so stuff might change as the situation evolves. I can promise you this: It will be an adventure! Ultimately the goal is to share my experiences reading and how we can be moved by story and by words — sometimes physically, but always spiritually. In short, I find that to be a reader means you believe in living curiously. Traveling promotes that, too. And the more we explore new worlds and the more we read, the more we can empathize with and understand others, and the more we are ourselves enriched. And isn’t that the best way to live?
Books take us on adventures without leaving our chair; let’s take that one step further together, shall we?
