It is no secret to those that know me that I love to read. I like to get lost in the pages of beautifully written words that weave a magical story that I get to use to paint a picture of another world; another place.
Some of my favorites include many of your favorites I am sure. I was engaged by Edgar Sawtelle and his journey, the Geisha’s complicated and precise lives in Memoirs of a Geisha, the complicated family story that is all of ours in Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and the journeys of history and life through Barbara Kingsolver’s eyes in the Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna. I could go on and on….books that are the fabric of my life. Books that I can’t wait to pick up and can’t wait to put down. Books that I am able to lose myself for just a while. Books that are so good that the movie isn’t even a consideration.
The last book I finished was Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It was beautifully written coming of age autobiography. The Pacific Coast Trail meets “Eat Pray Love” (another of my favorites).
It was raw and real; written with such vulnerability that one rarely shares anymore. What made this book special for me is that within two weeks of finishing the book, I found myself crossing the Bridge of Gods which crosses the swift moving salmon filled Columbia River in Oregon. This is the same location where the book ends; where the journey of self discovery for Cheryl concludes and the next phase of her life begins.
And, shortly after passing the a few hikers coming off of what I imagined to be their 20 mile day on the Pacific Crest Trail. It is not too often that you find yourself in the actual location of the place that you created in your own imagination. So, it was fun to match up my imagination with the actual place. Here is the actual Pacific Crest Trail which goes all the way from the border of Mexico to Canada. You can learn more about it here.
For some reason, it made the book come alive and even more real than the real story that is Cheryl’s life and adventure. I highly recommend this book if you were a fan of Eat Pray Love.
It is well written and a journey that most will recognize in some shape or form as their own even if it is in a different form; from your cozy couch with a book in hand.
For a list of my other favorite books, you can check out “My Favorite Reads” Pinterest Board.
Here’s to a night table stacked full of reading books.
What are your favorite reads?
