By: Katherine Rice
I used to hate reading. No, loath it. As a child, I would have rather lived my life as a self-proclaimed couch potato and spent endless days parked in front of a television. Yea, I was one of those kids and I’m pretty sure my mother was certain that I’d never see the light when it came to literature. Well, I did.
I was in the second grade in Mrs. Sallack’s class. I wasn’t particularly fond of my teacher so when she told us we’d be reading a novel in class, I was certain I was being punished. But when I went home and told my mom, I returned the next day with a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Not a happy camper. So we opened our books and started to read. And I was transported to the land of Narnia, with a lion named Aslan and an ice-cold White Witch that somewhat resembled my cruel teacher. (Ahem.) But it was great!
I went on an adventure with Lucy, Susan, Peter, and Edmund. They hinted at the temptations of sweets. They taught me to always trust beavers (because beavers are just so darn cute). And they reminded me that good always wins in the end, even if you can’t always see it.
Only later did I discover the spiritual and biblical commentary beyond the plot. But at the time, Aslan was just a lovable lion kicking the White Witch’s butt. Yup. I was a hooked. I’ve been a sucker for a good novel ever since.
Now-a-days my mom yells at me for always reading, seeing as I tend to neglect chores or other expectations of the family just to hide in a corner with a book that takes me someplace else. But hey, be careful what you wish for mom...
And though I’m not quite as accomplished as Rory and I haven’t read all of the 339 novels from her extensive book list (gosh, I need to get to work), I still love to read. In fact, I became an English Literature major my sophomore year (“for fun”) and I seem to have a daily reminder of the possibilities with literature. I’m reminded that books can take you anywhere, anytime of the day, even when life gets you down.
Whether you’re in another world or just here down on Earth in Oxford, Ohio, novels remind you of the things that we forget. We forget that there is always hope in hopeless situations. We remember that good will always conquer evil. And we recall that love is the most powerful thing in the world. And without The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it would have taken me a long time to meet my first love, novels.
I used to hate reading. No, loath it. As a child, I would have rather lived my life as a self-proclaimed couch potato and spent endless days parked in front of a television. Yea, I was one of those kids and I’m pretty sure my mother was certain that I’d never see the light when it came to literature. Well, I did.
I was in the second grade in Mrs. Sallack’s class. I wasn’t particularly fond of my teacher so when she told us we’d be reading a novel in class, I was certain I was being punished. But when I went home and told my mom, I returned the next day with a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Not a happy camper. So we opened our books and started to read. And I was transported to the land of Narnia, with a lion named Aslan and an ice-cold White Witch that somewhat resembled my cruel teacher. (Ahem.) But it was great!
I went on an adventure with Lucy, Susan, Peter, and Edmund. They hinted at the temptations of sweets. They taught me to always trust beavers (because beavers are just so darn cute). And they reminded me that good always wins in the end, even if you can’t always see it.
Only later did I discover the spiritual and biblical commentary beyond the plot. But at the time, Aslan was just a lovable lion kicking the White Witch’s butt. Yup. I was a hooked. I’ve been a sucker for a good novel ever since.
Now-a-days my mom yells at me for always reading, seeing as I tend to neglect chores or other expectations of the family just to hide in a corner with a book that takes me someplace else. But hey, be careful what you wish for mom...
And though I’m not quite as accomplished as Rory and I haven’t read all of the 339 novels from her extensive book list (gosh, I need to get to work), I still love to read. In fact, I became an English Literature major my sophomore year (“for fun”) and I seem to have a daily reminder of the possibilities with literature. I’m reminded that books can take you anywhere, anytime of the day, even when life gets you down.
Whether you’re in another world or just here down on Earth in Oxford, Ohio, novels remind you of the things that we forget. We forget that there is always hope in hopeless situations. We remember that good will always conquer evil. And we recall that love is the most powerful thing in the world. And without The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it would have taken me a long time to meet my first love, novels.