I’m falling in love all over again!

When I was younger, my parents and everybody around me were certain that I wouldn’t have any problems going through med school. Why? Because med school involves a lot of reading, and I would fit right in because I loved to read.

They were right – in some sorts. I used to be a voracious reader. I remember that I didn’t really enjoy watching TV as a child. Instead, I would lie down on the rug in the living room, reading my Ali and Simbi books. Remember Ali and Simbi? Edet who lived in Ikot Ekpene, Agbo who was waiting in Molete park?

When I was done with those, I discovered the hidden library in my primary school. With my best friend in tow, we read all the books in there – the whole Famous Five series, Secret Six and everything in between.

By the time I was seven, I was well into reading Mills and Boons. Yeah, I know its child abuse. As soon as I got a book, I was transported to a different world- to the annoyance of my mom. I can’t count the number of times I have burnt rice because I was reading. She used to say: “to ba de’le oko, novel lo ma se fun abi?” (When u get to ur husband’s house, its novels you would cook for him abi?). Many a times, she would yell my name and I wouldn’t hear (even though I was right beside her) because I was so engrossed in the book I was reading.

I wasn’t into buying books then because I read books in record times that it was just not worth it. Most of the books I read were borrowed from friends- and sometimes enemies. I didn’t have a library either, because once I read the book that was it. I had no use for it again.

I didn’t have any favorite authors- I read everything in print. Wole Soyinka, Cyprian Ekwensi, James Hardley Chase. Nelkon Physics, Chemistry, and Modern Biology were not left out either. The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I read but couldn’t watch.

Everything was fine and dandy till I discovered the internet. The ninth wonder of the world (google is the seventh). I read online books, and then I started reading through google and wikipedia. I’d google something random like 18th century monarchs and read up all the links about them.

However, ever since I discovered the internet, my reading took a nose dive. In between hi5, facebook and all the other stuff you could do on the internet, I lost my first love. I don’t read like I used to. The rush of seeing a new book I haven’t read has all but disappeared – save the rush I felt when I got the last Harry potter instalment, which I made sure to finish during the first week of school.

I spend countless hours scouring the internet for God-knows-what. Then last week, my internet got disconnected and I didn’t have money to pay to get it reconnected (yes, I’m broke like that). I picked up a book and I didn’t put it down till 2 hours later when I was done with it. It took my internet being disconnected to get me back to my true love.

I have acquired two books that I expect to devour in two days. Yesterday night, I started reading the first one and I’m excited to say I’m falling in love all over again!


PS: I wil edit this post later.

In other news, with 27% of the votes, its safe to assume that Wande coal is the choice of most bloggers, closely followed by styl-plus.