Over the past few years, I stopped reading for fun. I didn’t even notice I was doing it, but along the way, I wasn’t going into bookstores and didn’t have a stack of unread books on my bedside table. I was sucked into homework and school readings (like the infinitely long Iliad), and I did not give myself time for any personal reading. It wasn’t until this past summer, when I had a lot of free time, that realized that my bookshelf was embarrassingly bare. So, I resolved to change that.
I told myself that I was going to fall in love with books again, no matter how long it took. I took a break from binge-watching another Netflix series and spent more time at The Strand, which is luckily only a few blocks from my apartment. And I started reading books that interested me, ones that I looked forward to reading rather than dreading. And slowly, I have opened up that love again.
I try to spend at least a couple of hours reading a week, whether it’s before bed or in a cozy coffee shop. It is my “me time” and I spend it doing an activity that I find joy in. Whether it’s the newest New York Times best-seller, a Penguin classic, or a good old-fashioned romance, it’s something I do for myself and only myself, something I sometimes have trouble finding time for.
Reawakening my own love affair with reading, I started to look into entering a career that involves books. It was never something that I thought could even be a possible career path for me. As a kid, I told everyone that when I grew up, I wanted to be a book editor. But I never really thought I could make that happen. Always a dream, but never a reality. Then, one day, I asked myself why I hadn’t looked down this path before. Why hadn’t I put more thought into making my career dreams a reality?
Working at a publishing house has helped me realize that being surrounded by books is where I want to be. Learning about the behind-the-scenes of novels that can change the way you see the world is so interesting and important. The process is opening my eyes to the care and dedication that is put into each word an author writes. It truly takes a village to publish a book, a small price to make a difference in even one person’s life.
Books are important. Through finding my love of reading again, I am also finding myself. I am excited to see what more I have to learn with Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press. The possibilities are endless.
– Beauscar Wilde
This is a shared blog post for Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press.