The Reader and The Writer

I wouldn't consider myself an avid reader because I am not burying my head in the book for most parts of my free time. However, I do read a bit, especially during my bus trips to work and before bedtime, which I do enjoy immensely. I do spend quite an amount of time on the internet reading blogs, news and forum articles, so I wonder if the term "reader" should be reclassified to include electronic material instead of just hard copy.

I don't like science fiction and I am definitely not a detective/slasher novel fan, though I had read of some which still resonate in my mind when I recall good books that I have read. Starting from fairy tales, transgressing to the Secret Seven Series and Nancy Drew in my childhood and ultimately to classics like "Little Women", "Great Expectations", "Pride and Prejudice" in my teenage years and now predominantly biographies, non-fiction, contemporary or Booker and Pulitzer Prize winning material, I reflect on how my taste have been shaped by the happenings of my life.

I guess my taste in books also progressed alongside my preference for certain genre of movies as I matured, hence my DVD collection at this point screaming "No more drama. Give me comedy!". I am currently reading an old classic "The Alchemist", which is hailed with "The Little Prince" as classics that teach us simple life lessons that have been clouded by materialistic desires in our life. Simple words, simple phrases ... nothing to truly scream "Prize winner" or "Prose", but unlike many book prize winners, I found these books profoundly moving because it touched my soul more than the flowery language that authors sometimes use to "wow" instead of move.

Do we applaud the author for managing to squeeze the most number of "dictionary browse-worthy" words in one sentence, or a paragraph that describes the ethereal ambience and things, or is the impact on our sense of our worlds more phenomenal? For me, simplicity rules. It's like speaking from the heart instead of decorating the voice. I fall victim myself sometimes, but I know that my true voice rings through when I am "stripped bare" and I certainly hope to be reminding myself to do more of this in the future.