In a land far, far away, there lived a young woman who…

When I was a child so many of the fairy tale story books began this way.

Within the first few lines the distant, enchanted land would be painted vividly within the imagination and a fair maiden, handsome prince, and wicked queen or sorcerer introduced, setting the plot of good versus evil. It is within such tales that my love of reading, books, the written word, and the influence they have on the reader began to bloom.

From an early age I devoured books. I would get my hands on one and have a hard time putting it down until I read it all the way through, cover to cover.

I loved getting lost in the words, finding myself in a foreign world I could explore, among strangers that I was only too eager to learn about and befriend, and refusing to leave until I had my fill.

I love the effect a good book has on the imagination, causing it to pirouette in new directions and expand in electrifying ways; and on the heart, forcing it to leave a charmed impression and a fondness of memory within.

And I love the way a book can propel you into a newer, more profound understanding of who you are at your core, shedding light on thoughts and emotions, convictions and morals, wishes and dreams, expectations and realities of yourself that you may never before realized.

I love everything about books; the smell, the look, the feel, the weight.

Everything about them is alluring and tantalizing.

Truth be told, when I go to purchase a book it is a process in and of itself.

I examine the spine, pages, and font, weigh the pros and cons of hard cover versus paperback, read a few pages to determine whether or not the style and topic is right and interesting enough for me, and check to make sure that no other copy is in better shape than the one I have chosen.

I need the perfect fit, the perfect get away, the perfect tool to challenge my mind, heart, and spirit.

I’ve been reading a lot lately, too.

I usually go through spurts where I will read one book after another for a few weeks and then take quite a bit of time off. Right now though, I’ve been on a binge, gorging myself on book after book after book, never stopping for more than a day or two to rest my eyes or mind.

I’m addicted to the escape, to the thrill, to the difference of places and faces.

On more than one occasion, at least once a year, I will reread my favorites: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and Jane Austen’s novels, namely Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.

I discovered Narnia and the great lion Aslan (the central figure in the books) when I was a child and quickly began to worship the magical realm and the talking animals that inhabited it.

The second book of the series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has always been my most beloved as it was the first book, to my recollection, that I could actually see playing in my mind while I was reading it.

My imagination still bursts to life at the mere sight of the iconic cover, a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood near a lamppost.

Jane Austen and her novels came to me when I was a teenager and young woman.

Pride and Prejudice was a reading assignment in my high school English class, and as I was studying English Writing in college, Jane’s literature was a mainstay.

Jane Austen highlighted the circumstances and environment which required the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security.

Her realism and sharp social commentary, comic twists, descriptive scenes, and sparks of romance captivate me and I find myself at home when immersed in her thick dialogue and wandering the English moors.

Currently, however, and you may laugh if you like as I’m ridiculously late to join the craze and also because of the target audience and material, I am reading the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (I watched one of the movies based on these books and my interest was piqued).

A total of seven fantasy novels, Harry Potter chronicles the adventures of an adolescent wizard and his friends dueling battle with an evil dark wizard. I don’t really know what it is about these books other than the brilliant mixture of adventure, drama, and mystery that has me fascinated, but I will regret when I’ve finished them.

Besides fiction and fantasy, though, I also enjoy humo books and short essays, autobiographical pieces and, more often than not, classic novels by authors such as Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlotte Bronte, Ernest Hemingway, Emily Bronte, and Charles Dickens.

The classics, for whatever reason, comfort me and mesmerize me in odd, hypnotic ways.

Someone once said, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

I couldn’t agree more, nor could I find a pastime more enjoyable or a love more steadfast than that of a good book. I’ve traveled to so many foreign lands, met so many intriguing people, learned so many wonderful facts because of them that, more often than not, I long to be buried behind a good book.

About the Author

Haley Taffera covers for the Times Leader. Reach her at or .

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Once upon a time

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Growing up

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