Why do I enjoy reading so much? That's a question that's both simple and complicated at the same time. The short answer is the stories. I start reading and I immerse myself into whatever it is that happens to be in front of me. I particularly enjoy books written from a first person point of perspective, because it makes it easier to "become" the character.
For example, an excellent series that does this is the Pendragon series by DJ MacHale. It's about a boy named Bobby Pendragon, who is a Traveler. Travelers are beings who have been chosen from the territories (times and places around the universe) to stop an evil demon named Saint Dane from throwing them all into chaos. It's told through two perspectives: Bobby's journals to his two friends at home (written in first person form) and the "overworld" story as seen in third person which follows his two friends, Mark and Courtney.
As much as I love the series, it still doesn't contain my all-time favorite books. Those go to Stephen King with "The Stand" and Alexandre Dumas with "The Count of Monte Cristo". "The Stand" is one that I enjoy because of the masterful storytelling and character interaction, set in a post-apocalyptic Earth. I always love post-apocalyptic stories. I love "The Count of Monte Cristo" because it's by far the best revenge novel ever created. The intelligence, patience and creativeness that Dante/Monte Cristo uses to exact his revenge is splendid, and it touches on so many issues relevant to human nature.
An honorable mention as far as authors are concerned goes to G. A. Henty. Henty's books concern boys raised in different countries and time periods throughout history. His characters live through some of the great military campaigns and political upheavals of their times, and meet some of the biggest players in history. Henty uses the situations he places his characters in to demonstrate to his readers the way a proper gentleman acts and behaves, and Henty attempts to instill in his readers manly virtues and ways of thinking. Additionally, his description of military encounters are some of the most accurate and most precisely described accounts that exist in our historical record, due to his extensive research on all of them.Combine all of these factors, and you're left with an excellently written group of books that I highly recommend to anyone who can get their hands on them.
I could talk all day about books, but I won't take up anymore of your time for now. Stay tuned though! My next post will be about my senior cruise and all of the events associated with that!
Until then, stay thirsty my friends.
