It's Not Weird To Read On Your Way To Class, Even If You Bump Into 20 People Doing So.

Don't forget.

Don't ever forget that feeling you have when you finish a book.

I did, and I'm mad at myself.

As a reader, I have recently come close to failing. I hadn't REALLY gotten into a book since Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Maybe I was in denial because I was scared to find a book that was better than it. But no matter what happened, I had stopped really reading.

My mom would give me short stories from the New Yorker and I would stay up late reading those. But then it'd be over and I'd think, "Oh well!" It's killing me. How did this happen??

Finally I remembered the one thing that will never change when it comes to reading books. Reading a book that's below your level once in a while is NOT a bad idea. It really isn't. First off, if you're a thinker like me you'll like easier books because ideas come to mind faster, and then you can spend more time thinking about them. Second of all... It's fun! They are simple to understand and in my most recent case, beautifully written.

My sister, Lois, is in a book club. (Woohoo using today's comma lesson in my blog what what?!) I am extremely jealous of her, as I was in a book club when I was her age too. Of course we got to Middle School and everyone except me and the moms wanted to end it. I guess they were busy or something. Whatever.

Anyway: The book they just finished was Ida B. Emily Mendes stopped me in the hallway just to tell me that that was her favorite book in fifth grade. The only fear I have of reading books below my level are people thinking that I am lazy or stupid. But really, I'm not. I just adore them. I don't care what anyone else thinks.

Ida B is an incredible character. Incredible person, actually. She is real, I know. She is home schooled by her parents and spends her free time speaking with the trees that she has named and created personalities for. Everything is perfectly perfect until Mama gets sick and Ida B has to go to school where everyone calls her Ida and no one gets how everything is messed up and ruined.

As I read the book I felt like reaching out and holding Ida B's hand. Not in a way to say, "Poor you!" but to be with her. Because the greatest thing in this book is that you come to know and love Ida B so much that you refuse to let anything get her down. And now the worst part: I had to accept sooner or later that Ida B was just living on the pages of the book in my hands. Which slowly became the best part again. I remembered that feeling, the feeling that I had with Oskar. When I thought he was real and although there was some invisible barrier separating us, I remembered how to feel like I was with her the whole time.

And that's when it came to me. I love to read. I love it. I had forgotten that for a while but Ida B allowed me to remember it. I love to read!! I love love love it!!! Now that Nora is gone forever and I have no one to talk to... I turn to books! It's so fun!

(I do realize this blog post is now going no where but I just need to be happy for a little.)

In science, when class was over, instead of going to talk with people, I pulled out my book... and read. Wow. I realized that all the times that I just go and talk to people for no reason I could be reading. Not to say that you should never be social or talk to people. I know that. What I am saying never waste time to read. Read your heart out. I'm so excited now. AH!!!! And the best part of today in science was that I didn't care if people looked at me and thought I was weird for reading my book while I could be mingling.

Sorry sorry sorry.

Lastly I come to the inspiration for the prompt I'll share with my creative writing class in a couple Thursdays. When I finished Ida B.

When I finished Ida B I remembered one more thing.

How you feel when you finish your book.

I felt like I accomplished something. I looked back at all the pages in the book, all three hundred and something of them, and I thought, I read all of this. My growing, thinking brain ate it up and loved every bit of it.

I felt annoyed. Why didn't I get to find out if her mom gets better? Does she stay at school? Hmph.

Why couldn't it follow Ida B all the way until she was 100. Why? It's so sad.

But most of all: Pride. I get to hold the book up and say, "Why yes, yes I did read this book." It's that feeling you have when you recommend a book to someone because you read it and loved it. Or when someone asks to read the book your reading when you're done. And when you give them the book its your way of saying, "Done. I read it."

BUT: It's not about bragging. (Not completely that is.) It's about the feeling you get when you read the last word and the only pages beyond that is the About The Author.

My dad bought me a book all about the Green Bay Packers winning the Super Bowl. On the back is a quote from Aaron Rodgers talking about how now that they've won, they don't know what to do. And that's when he says: "Let's go get another."

So the main lesson for this week, (thank you Aaron Rodgers <3 <3 <3 <3) is that when you finish a book, you have every right to want to sulk around and be upset. But. Don't be sad for too long, you're wasting time to read another great book.