Worlds of Words

"What an astonishing thing a book is....one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person....perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding people together who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic." --Carl Sagan

Something akin to telepathy, books bring you inside the mind of another, far removed from where you stand, transmitting thoughts and insights and channeled worlds directly to you here, now. I can I travel deeper and further than anywhere I could reach on earth--through time and space, the world over, and into dimensions and realities that I otherwise would not have access. 

I've written about this idea before--from my experiences of looking up into a dark, clear moonless night sky to sitting in deep meditation--tapping into realms beyond what can physically be seen or experienced. But in the case of reading, I stare at words and allow my imagination to transport me elsewhere--to a time, place, land, culture, body, or mind, that is unknown to me. I lose myself in these worlds and bring pieces of them back into my reality. Perpetually shifting the way I think about and see the world around me and the people in it. 

Donna Tartt had once said in an interview that reading was a kind of concentrated experience, one that adds to our understanding of human nature that is otherwise very difficult to have. I believe this is true. As an undergraduate, I studied psychology, but about halfway through my program, I became disillusioned with the whole idea. The best way to know people, human nature, and the world outside of our own experiences and interactions is by reading. And so, I abandoned the idea of studying psychology and became even more of an avid reader of literature and eventually a writer, a creator of worlds. 

I lose myself in these worlds of words, and then I rip them apart. I analyze the structure, the voice, the craft, and the whys and the hows. Whereas writing, for me, is an intuitive act that sprouts from elsewhere, reading (including my own work) is an act of purposeful exploration, pulling back veils and uncovering the hidden layers between the written words. 

And so, in the spaces between traveling, I'll be exploring these spaces between words and sharing the multilayered universes of books. Those worlds of words that have left me spellbound and changed. I will write about individual books and my favorite genres. Expect speculative science fiction, dark academia, magical realism, and postmodern / experimental of all various forms. And I might throw in some memoir and nonfiction too. 

And now, where to begin? 

I will let the seasons and general happenings in my life dictate. What is resonate at that moment. I keep so much inside--what wants to spill out? What books do I keep revisiting in my mind, mulling over and over until I want to burst? That is where I will start. 

And what about you? What books do you want to step inside of and never leave? What books haunt you? Which ones have stuck with you over time and changed your life and they way you see the world out there?