Narrating Personal Interest

I have always been a huge bookworm. Within the presents and gifts I received growing up, from my childhood to now, I would always be far more excited to receive a book, or a voucher to my local bookshop. I remember when I got my first Harry Potter book; I must have been about seven. All be it, it was the second book, but I was still very excited. That was the first real novel I ever finished, and although it took me about three months, from the moment I turned the last page I was always on the hunt for bigger books. From there, a monster was created.

These days, everyone is on their phone, or computer or tablet; whatever technology they can get their hands on. This is part of the reason I love reading; it’s a breather from such a digital environment. It’s very unlikely you’ll ever find me reading an e-book, or buying a kindle, because I just think that takes away the magic of a true paperback. The scent of the pages, the indent of the words, the colour of the covers; they are all factors in creating an experience that is reading. You’re using your imagination and inventing this world in your mind. No two people will read the same book and have the same visions. It’s not like a movie where everything is laid out for you. When reading a book, descriptions only go so far; it’s up to the reader to picture their surroundings.

When I was 15, my grandma took me and my cousin to a bookshop in a place called Pioneer Village, in the centre of Armadale, that had a café set up in the corner. In the café, there were lounges and beanbags instead of typical wooden chairs, so that people could relax into the comfort and read their latest purchases. It became a sort of tradition; every second weekend when we all visited her, grandma would take us to the bookshop (and note that all the books were second-hand and tattered, so they only cost a few dollars each), buy us three books each, and we would read the first few chapters in the café with a poppy seed muffin. Yes, every time was the same order.

Reflecting on this memory helped me come up with not only the name for this blog, but the direction I wanted to take it in. This blog isn’t just for reviewing the latest chart-topping novels; it’s for directing you to the best local cafés to sit and experience a whole new world spread between 25 chapters.