Rekindle-ing my love for reading books

I’m a bookworm. I have been reading books as long as I can remember. If I remember it correctly, I read my first “novel” at five, and devoured encyclopedias and grammar books at seven. My grandma was a writer for a newspaper during her prime and she had countless of literary books in her room. My cousins had tons of Sweet Valley and Baby Sitters Club books and I read those as well. Every Sunday after church, I would ask my tita to buy me Goosebumps by RL Stine (ironic ikr)

I was bored, the internet wasn’t born yet, reading kept me occupied. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do have my fair share of toys. But there’s something about books that took me to a different universe each time.

Books were my joy and pride, until it wasn’t.

I was in a toxic relationship 7 years ago, and my ex broke my Kindle in front of me. I just finished re-reading 1Q84 by Murakami.

It was numbing. Painfully, agonizingly numbing.

Years went by.

I moved on.

I’m in a happier place now. I’m in a stable job, fulfilling career, somehow an “okay” parent for someone who has Bipolar disorder (well Geof says I’m the best lol), and a great relationship with someone of equal footing. I even purchased a brand new Kindle in back in 2018. 

But I haven’t touched a book until this year I didn’t understand myself too. Was it trauma? I downloaded a few books from Amazon, including my favourite titles from Stephen King, but I haven’t read a single page. 

I was bored. Binge-watching Netflix wasn’t it for me anymore. I already finished watching all the anime series I want, even up to the latest 1000+th episode of One Piece. I was desperate for entertainment, besides looking on my mobile phone or my laptop screen. 

*click*

I turned on my Kindle again. I checked out a few titles that my Kuya Lars sent me. Began reading Murakami’s short stories from The Elephant Vanishes. Done.  Read Sweet Bean Paste. Done. Read Verity. Done. Read Dark Matter. Done.

Even downloaded more books from Chuck Palahniuk and the classic The Good Earth trilogy.

I realized rekindling my love for reading wasn’t just for books. It rekindled my love for a part of me once lost.