Finding Myself With Every Book I Read.

I'm a book-lover. If you've been following my blog from the very beginning, you would know that I actually used to do weekly book reviews. I would post three times a week, and every Saturday would be a review on a book I've read within that week.

For those of you who loved those posts, I am so sorry I never brought them back, writing book reviews is tough! Credit to those of you who continue to do it. (Sidenote, if you're looking for a new place to read book reviews, I have to say Marie from Drizzle and Hurricane Books is my favorite. I feel like we tend to have similar opinions on books we've both read, and she always has amazing recommendations. So check her out!).

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Reading is such a huge part of who I am. Regardless of the genre of book, books help me find myself. It's taken me to worlds that do not exist. It makes me experience and feel things that I've actually never done before.

I feel like I have lived 1,000 times over, each with a different personality, location, and scenario. I love it. I have learned so much. I helps me be more empathetic to people and their situations. It makes me look at the world a little differently with each read. Sometimes I just learn new facts about life in general.

I predominately read a lot of two genres. I read a lot of Fiction and a lot of self-help. Two totally different genres in terms of what they do to me, but they both have made me who I am.

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Self-Help has given me the confidence, courage, positivity, and a whole bunch of other things that I would never be able to put into words. I know some people think they're cliche (and some of them are!), but if you find one that speaks to you, it can make the world of a difference.

In terms of Fiction, storytelling is magical. It always has been. As I mentioned, by reading, I'm living through someone else's words. If you fully immerse yourself in a book, you truly feel like you've experienced what the characters on the page have experienced. This is exactly why I have to sometimes take breaks from reading, especially when I've read something dark or extremely upsetting.

I literally feel the pain that these characters feel. While you might be thinking, "why would you read something that could potentially bring you so much pain?", the truth is, it makes me feel less alone.

I am beyond grateful for all the amazing authors that have let me into their world. How their words have changed my life. How I have become who I am, partially, because of them.

Do any of you guys feel this way? Is there a particular book that has ever made you feel this way? Let me know in the comments below! I hope you guys have a wonderful day/night. Sending you all love, strength, and positive vibes.

-Melina xxx

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17 comments

  • Steeped Pages says:

    Really enjoyed your post. I’ve been a bookworm since I was a nerdy kid growing up in a small town in a rural area. Books always opened my eyes to events and people that were new and interesting. I feel I have a better foundation to build my own world because of reading the worlds of so many others. Thanks for sharing similar feelings!

    Reply
    • Melina Elisa says:

      I can only imagine how much more important book are in your life, especially living in such a rural place. I'm so glad you can relate to what I'm talking about in this post. For whatever reason, I had a bit of trouble coming up with the words to make this post relay everything I feel. Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂 xx

      Reply
  • Heather Hicks says:

    I tell you what, I tend to read more Memoirs and the like now more than ever. I love to share the journey with these people and to realize that we all have similar struggles and our paths are closer than we may think. Right now I am reading Amber Starfire's Accidentall Jesus Freak. This is a story of empowerment and a journey to find her true self and it's been so amazing!! writingthroughlife.com is her site and there's book info there. If anyone needs another book to put on their tower of tbr books then this should be it!!

    Reply
    • ivefoundwaldo says:

      When I was in second/third grade, I used to have an obsession with reading Biographies (I know, super weird hobbies). I don't know why I moved out of that, but I'm definitely going to check out this book! Thanks so much for the recommendation. Also, thanks for reading and commenting! Have a wonderful day/night xx

      Reply
  • I love reading for this exact reason! I love that I can learn so much about myself through words. Reading opens your mind, teaches you things, and even helps you figure out some stuff going on in your own life, and I think that’s really cool!
    Also, I used to view self help books as super lame, but after recently picking one up and nearly finishing it, I have to say, it’s definitely helping me in some aspects of my life!

    Thanks for sharing!
    XOA
    http://www.alexandraquinlann.com

    Reply
    • ivefoundwaldo says:

      I used to think Self-help books were lame too! Like i said in my post, I guess I just didn't find the right ones, because once I did, it was a total game changer. I'm glad you could relate to this! Thanks for reading and commenting Ali xxx

      Reply
  • Sophia Smith says:

    I am so fed up with self help books - they got to my nerves. In fact I am moving for few days towards spirituality and religion books instead. Fictions are lately not interesting for me at all.

    Reply
    • ivefoundwaldo says:

      I'm sorry to hear you had a back experience with self-help books! I hope you do give a chance again eventually! Good luck switching genres. I hope you find yourself more whole while reading them. Thanks for reading and commenting! xxx

      Reply
  • Marie says:

    Oh this is such an amazing post, Melina and wow, thank you so much for mentioning me here, I'm honored <3 It's hard to write book reviews, I agree ahah, sometimes it's just hard to form coherent sentences to express what you felt about a story, especially when it touched you so deeply. You're right, some books brin us some pain, but these are also the books we can relate to the most, the ones where we find pieces of ourselves into, or the ones we just care deeply about and... it's kind of magical, to see how much we can care about words on a page, right? 🙂 x

    Reply
    • ivefoundwaldo says:

      Exactly, I care more than most people can imagine. Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂 x

      Reply
  • Anna says:

    I love fiction! I've recently gotten into self help books as well, I love the motivation they can give you! Much love, Anna

    Reply
    • ivefoundwaldo says:

      I'm so glad you found you can relate! Thanks for reading and commenting Anna xxx

      Reply
  • Always Cleia says:

    I feel the same way! I always read fantasy because it takes me somewhere that doesn't exist. I love that sense of wonder from discovering a new land or magic system, and often fantasy is written in a way that the characters still experience very real situations that I can relate to.

    Reply
    • ivefoundwaldo says:

      I'm still making my way through some of the books you recommended to me! I have them on my amazon wish list, and am reading them slowly, but yes! Books are honestly so amazing. Thanks for reading and commenting Cleia xxx

      Reply
      • Always Cleia says:

        I'm so glad you're reading them! My to-read list is giant, and my Amazon wishlist is also full of books 😄

        Reply
        • ivefoundwaldo says:

          My to-read list, is my amazon wish list! so trust me I know

          Reply