The Protection of a Good Bookby Candace Salima | More from this Blogger 19 Mar 2006 09:36 AM Where's the value in escaping into a good book? Well, for me, it's been a lifelong brief escape when reality becomes far too overbearing. As a child we moved from place to place and state to state as my biological father attempted to find a job that he could keep. He was a difficult man and therefore, holding on to a job was a difficult thing. Always being the "new kid" presented certain dilemmas. Being the painfully shy "new kid" was even worse. So I would trudge off to school every day, either paying attention and working hard or daydreaming out the window if it got boring and then trudge back home, anxious to lose myself within the pages of the latest Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Black Beauty, Tom Sawyer . . . it didn't matter. If it was well written I wanted to read it. Put me on the back of a horse, give me a sandwich, apple, chips and a good book and I was a happy camper. And for those brief hours I was chasing down the bad guys, speeding by on the back of a magnificent black horse and rafting down the river with that rascal, Tom Sawyer, life was sweet. This set a precedent in my life that exists to this very day. Even now, I get a thrill when I pick up a new book on theology, romantic suspense, western, historical fiction, biography . . . shoot, even the guy who wrote those two books on the Romanovs a few years ago accomplished what my science professor couldn't. He made me understand DNA and all its nuances. Books are my escape, they are my protection from a world that has gone crazy. And when I turn the last page on the latest adventure I stand up, I stretch and then I get busy with my insanely busy life. Bring on the deadlines, the laundry, the dishes, the floors, shoot - you can even bring on the toilet. I can do it! What's your escape from life when it gets a little too crazy? Learn more about Candace Salima  Candace E. Salima was born right smack dab in the middle of twelve children. Relevantlds tags User Comments GypsyGirlElliott (15) 31 Mar 2006 06:16 AMLove to hear that there is someone out there who really understands where I'm coming from. Books were more than passing time or entertainment for me - they were a part of my life, and still are. In the middle of all the stress of real life, I can still park myself somewhere comfy and go to Narnia for a few hours visit with Peter and Lucy. I can attend Jane's wedding to Mr Rochester. I can swing across a ditch on a rope and suddenly be in a magical kingdom with Jesse and Leslie. They weren't just words on paper, to me they were real people, and life long friends when I, at times, had no others.  Candace Salima (1604) 31 Mar 2006 01:20 PMOh, no question! This is how much books pervade my life (oh, and by the way, LOVE Pride and Prejudice). I can be driving home, pass a construction trailor which then triggers the memory of a particular book. I pull in my driveway, walk into my home and head straight to my library, (Yes, I have a library. I have the most indulgent husband in the world.) find the book, curl up and read it again before the night is through. I actually crave a story like people crave chocolate. How cool is that? pacificfire (20) 01 Apr 2006 04:55 AMThis silly ostrich never needed sand -- I always had (have) books to bury myself into. Love the craving comparison -- that is so me. I have to admit, though, that chocolate (the darker, the better) would put up a valiant fight. donnagenealogy (70) 01 Apr 2006 06:35 AMI read primarily to know, to learn, and my appetite was huge. Ficiton was not really my thing until the last 5 years as I started experiencing the classics I had never experienced. Now I read to transform. What line makes this book worth the read? How am I a better person for experiencing this book? What eternal truths have been confirmed? I usually do not read to escape; I do that with my creative outlets:) Candace Salima (1604) 01 Apr 2006 04:34 PMWe can learn from every genre of book, whether fiction or nonfiction. LDS novels can be likened to the parables of old. I love fiction and nonfiction both. Life is just too cool to focus on just one. Community Tags books, lds, literacy, strength, wisdom Discuss this article
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