Sometimes I wonder. How did I become this person who is suddenly so fond of books which in the end made me developed a book hoarding problem? I think it has to with my younger brother, my peers, and the courses that I took during my undergraduate studies.
My brother has always been fond of reading. He developed the habit earlier than I did. I think it started during his teens. Until today, he still owns a lot of books than I do. He reads more factual and non-fictional books while I'm the opposite but I do read a fare amount of non-fictional books myself. During my teens, I wasn't so fond of the idea of reading. I did read a few books but it wasn't as fun as I have experienced currently. I didn't like glancing my eyes on written words. I used to dread that experience. However, thanks to him, he has indirectly inspired me to read.
Few of my close friends are fond of reading. Before I even had the love for reading, I used to noticed them having stacks of books on their tables or constantly buying books whenever we go into bookstores.
When I was in uni, it's almost every semester that I had to take a few compulsory literature courses. To at least pass the courses, we had to read the suggested books and analyze them for assignments. I love that we had to analyze almost every aspect of the story. With that being said, analyzing has become a some sort of a habit whenever I read books or watch movies (thanks to a course called 'Literature & Media' that I took in uni). I love that whenever I read, I don't just merely read for pleasure or escapism, but I also get my mind to think about the story and the underlying issues relating to it such as how is the story apparent in our reality, what can I learn from this, or how can I relate it with my life, my personality, and the people around me, and so on.
Now that I don't have anymore literature classes to attend to, I still mentally (at least) analyze the novels that I read critically. I love to think. I like to tickle my brain with such endeavors. I'll feel guilty for myself and my brain if I let it go dormant for a long period of time. Moreover, I am no longer a student so I need to make myself think critically on my own.
As for what comes after I read the books, I will usually give reviews and brief analysis on my Goodreads account. Because I like to have my thoughts or analysis to be written down and shared with the reading community. Furthermore, it's one of the ways to prevent my writing skill from deteriorating. I find that to be able to do so is fulfilling and satisfying.
To conclude, I thank the people around me and my experience in uni for inculcating the love for reading books in me. I believe that this has been the greatest transformation that I had achieved in my life so far.
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