Ready for New Books? {Page-Turner}

Events unfold in life and sometimes they shake you to the core and encourage you to look around, then take another look and choose the road less traveled by you. Books are a steadfast passion of mine and when asked what type of books I read, the answer is concise: novels. Sometimes, short stories, the bottom line being that fiction is my magic.

I expect it will stay like this, but under new circumstances, my mentor - yes, I have one at this point in my life - has offered to read a new type of books: self-help, self-development... Not sure how to call them. The essence of his suggestion is that it is ages away from what I have read all my life.

Let's dare, I told myself, let's try. And so here come into my reading picture books about how to change, about how to write (always helpful!) and how to evolve both professionally and personally. The topics are interesting of course, but I have to admit that the shift has not been a natural one and I am quite frankly still struggling. Why?

Aside from simple reading preferences, I find that these books tend to give a lot of examples of successful and famous people to make their point, and not enough nitty gritty explanations - or too late in the book. I am well aware that such and such is famous and will establish the credibility of the following chapters of the said book - but I am more interested in knowing how all the others - yes, even the less successful ones - are working their way through their professional change and development phase. I may be a daydreamer, but clear goals and objectives are a must in life for me.

Speaking of simple tools, the best one to use to read this type of guide book is the ubiquitous highlighter (I have one in every bag, drawer, under the bed - don't ask): it helps extract the essence that may apply to my current or future needs. I find myself underlining, highlighting and writing on the books, making sure that what's more applicable to my case sticks. I have visual memory, so pen work is essential for me and no book will ever come out unscathed.

The reading process is very different compared to that of a novel and I am obviously learning to open up and let this new type of factual style and practical information in. The purpose is also entirely different. Novels open the windows of my imagination and welcome me with open arms into happy, sad, shifting, crazy lives. They do not need my permission to access my imagination - it is theirs to seize.

Practical books work the other way around for me: I need to knock on their door and ask for their permission to pick their pages - and they also need to find the key to my mind. 

What's interesting, as always, is the learning process. I am learning to read again, as it were, with a different purpose and in a context that instead of taking me away from reality, plunges me even more into it. Will I be able to take it all in? I do not know yet, but I'll keep you posted and write about the books I have read so far on this new journey.

Have you ever tried shifting you reading style? If so, why? I would love to know about your journey and how it worked out for you. 

Happy reading to you all and looking very much forward to your own stories!

P.S.: You can find here all the blog posts related to books listed on the blog, and here my Cover to Cover Pinterest page, not to mention that you can also find me on Goodreads as mentioned here.

Credits: Snappa (edited by The Daydreamer)