The Need to Read

The need to read… Reading is a thirst, for me, maybe a little like a drug. I crave it. I believe loving reading so much has everything to do with book selection—choosing something that really lights your fire.

Today I’m sharing one of my favorite authors with you: Laini Taylor. Laini lives in Portland, Oregon, she dyes her hair bright pink, and she writes Young Adult novels. My favorite is a series called Fairies of Dreamdark that could have just as easily been classified as children’s books. Book One is entitled Blackbringer.

As a reader, I crave stories that activate my imagination and engage my emotions. If an author can do both those things for me, I’m hooked.

As an author, the need to read is as much about inspiration and craft as sheer enjoyment.

I’ve been reading Blackbringer over and over lately because of the magical way Laini uses language. Her word choices, descriptions, and metaphors, are often unexpected. She brings the world of her book to life in an unforgettable way. I guess I hope by rereading it often, her gift might rub off on me!

Here’s one tiny example:

“[…]mostly, Dreamdark from the sky was a tapestry of treetops, as inscrutable as an ocean. Some white owls broke its surface like fish leaping in the sea.”

Tapestry and treetops don’t usually get put together. Neither do white owls and fish, inscrutable and ocean.

When I brought Laini up as a “must-read” during my Author Panel with Lish McBride and Lisa Mantchev, Lish said something like “what Laini does shouldn’t work, but it does.” Laini engages audiences looking for a great story through choices usually reserved for poetry.

If you need help finding things to read that you’ll love, ask your friendly local librarian for help. This is an area where librarians earn their super-hero status. By helping readers find simpatico material, they create true readers—those with the need to read.

Share with me in a comment below: Whose writing inspires you? What books make you feel that “need to read?”