I love reading. Books have been a way to escape life's difficulties and go to worlds where the troubles are not mine. Reading about pain, love, trials, bravery, and all of the other virtues and vices has been how I have gotten schooled on some of the finer points of life.
Recently, there has been a huge following of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I have had many friends tell me these are awesome, and my wife is reading the first one now. I am sure they are exactly as everyone says, but as far as books go, I can be stubborn. So, that being said, I decided to check out a different series Collins wrote, Gregor the Overlander. This is a great story containing memorable characters. What I am so amazed about is the ability of an author to write in different styles. Writing in one style is difficult enough, but two styles takes some great talent. Books can be unassuming. As I am typing, I am watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Many agree this is an amazingly well written series that will hold up for generations of readers to come. But what most do not know is that J.K. Rowling had a difficult start-up for her books. Sometimes, the best gems are the ones that do not appear shiny and perfect at the moment.
Leaving lesson for today: Read something new, something different, something that is outside of your normal range. God didn't create one style of person or personality, and it's good to experience the unique minds that have created some of the best literary works ever.
If you are in the mood for something different though, try these: The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, Children of the Lamp by P.B. Kerr, anything by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson), Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, The Night Tourist, and of course Gregor the Overlander, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott... I read alot... It's a sickness. But it's okay.