Another one, because Elf has no control and is feeling sentimental

[Guest]

Dear Readers,

Some days I think of the fact that I am a reader and think that I must be among the luckiest people on earth. For being a reader is surely the best thing that could have happened to me.

Some days I think of the fact that I am a reader and I want to cry because of just how much I feel for these people of ink and paper. And some days I want to yelp in joy because of how much I feel for these people of ink and paper.

I want a life spent with books. I want to read by the candlelight. I want to peruse abandoned libraries and old bookstores. I want to read The Haunting of Hill house curled up in a chair while a storm rages outside. I want to drink tea and read all of Dostoevsky. Most of my life I’ve felt like a  stray jigsaw piece that doesn’t fit anywhere, but when I think of such a life I feel as if I’ve found my picture. 

The best part, for me, about being a reader is those books that completely take up your heart and soul. You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones you can’t stop think off; those special characters that live rent free in your heart. The books, that once you’ve finished them, give you this feeling of peace, of contentment, of pure joy.

Reading is a contant reminder, "You are not alone." Everytime I come across a passage in a book that makes me want to cry because I didn't think anyone else felt this way; thought this way, those words beat like a second heartbeat in me. Because an author, maybe across the world from you, felt so strongly about this that they wrote a book about it. Because someone who has never even met you, captured your most intimate feelings so perfectly, you feel known and you feel seen.

And people, people don't understand. Most people who aren’t readers can’t understand. That’s okay too. Because the reading committee is a very special committee and you will always have people here who understand; who care; who share your obsessions and feelings. You are not alone, not only because of the characters and authors that have you reading just one more chapter, but also the people who are probably sacrificing their sleep right along with you.

I would like to quote a line from Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, now “The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us.”

Books are responsible for most of the beliefs I hold today, and not because they told me those beliefs. Because they showed me how to think on my own, and formulate my own worldview. I will always be grateful to them for that.  

I like books more than people. I prefer monsters and dark magic over going out and parties. I’m not throwing shade on the people who like those things. We are all free to chose our own path in life and no one road is better than the other. All I’m saying is that a life filled with classical music and fantasy and teas and coffees is…still a life. Just because it doesn’t meet anyone else’s expectations of what a life should be does not make it any less valid. Sometimes I need to remember that, and if you need to too, then I am here to tell you.

I love each and every one of you (and this includes every reader out there) and I am eternally grateful for all you. 

Yours lovingly,

Elf