Have you ever lost yourself in a book?

As a writer, that is my life-long goal…to write a book that drags the reader in until they find themselves lost in the story. It’s what every writer wants.

I write every day. Blogs, serials, and a few books I’m working on finishing.  But finding time to read can be a challenge. And I love to read. I’m one of those people who will pour over the back of a cereal box during breakfast just to have something to read.

My preference is for the old fashioned page turners. Real books. The smell of ink on paper is a magical thing. The feel of a new binding, opened for the first time, still gives me chills.  Blowing the dust from the pages of a well-loved favorite, rediscovered on the back of a shelf, is like finding an old friend again.

I was one of the electronic book reader hold outs. E-books held no interest to me. In fact, I adamantly said I would never cave…and then the new Nook tablet came out, and I did…I caved. My husband bought me one for Christmas and I’ve been attached to it ever since.

Today I discovered I could read books on my Nook for free while inside the walls of the Barnes and Noble bookstore, so while I was there, I started reading the new Stephen King book 11/22/63.

Of course, as a regular at the Barnes and Noble (my favorite hangout) I knew about the book even before it hit the shelves. But my mother was the first person to mention it to me in passing.  She was marveling about the thickness of the book itself…disbelief coloring her comments.

“I heard it was THREE INCHES THICK!” she said. “It would take someone a WHOLE YEAR to read that!”

“It’s not three inches thick,” I disagreed.  “Besides, the last few Harry Potter books are at least that long.  And Tom Clancy writes really long books.”

I wanted to say, not everyone prefers the dime store romance type books (although, I’m not above reading those too) but I didn’t. We didn’t need to say those were her favorites.  Mom likes a quick read.  If I’m being honest, I do too. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love a book with a lot of meat…as long as it doesn’t drag.

And once upon a time, Stephen King was my favorite.

So, it wasn’t unusual for me to click the Read In Store option on my Nook to check out the first few pages of his newest tome.

From the first few pages I was hooked. 

Now, I think it’s important to say, I don’t write book reviews. I’ll be the first to tell you if I like something, but I rarely take the time to write about it. It’s not my style. But every now and then, something so completely strikes my fancy I just MUST tell you about it…and this book is one of those things. 

The magic woven by the master himself has pulled me in like a drug. I’ve been reading since dinnertime and I’m pausing just long enough to write this before going back in. If you like a grand adventure…if you’re a fan of history…if you believe in magic and good triumphing over evil…this is a book for you.

But you can‘t have mine, I’m not done with it yet.

Until the next time…I’ll be reading!