Getting reacquainted with reading

Just as I was starting to get the hang of things, this semester has started to wind down. One more week of classes, a week of reading days, two weeks of finals and then it is officially summer. Just knowing how close it is almost makes all the stress of finals and papers melt away. Even if I (hopefully) get a job and stay busy, summer just feels so freeing.

I think the first thing I am going to do is read. I never thought it would happen to me, the girl who used to stay up until the wee hours of the morning trying to read just a little longer by the dim glow of a nightlight, who lived across the street from a library and made full use of it, who always had a paperback in her purse. I can look at every book on my shelf and remember when I first picked them up and made them a part of me. But somehow, I've stopped reading real books. I still pick one up every now and again, but usually after a day of text books and even my beloved blog habit, I'm read out.

I miss reading. Earlier one of my favorite books caught my eye and drew me over to the bookshelf. As my hands flipped through the soft well worn pages, old book smell wafting in the air, I remembered just how good it felt to loose myself in its pages, happily living in another world for that beautiful moment. I love television, movies and whatnot, but books have such a great active quality, your forced to become a part of them. Some people find that exercising, camping or what not cleanses their soul. That's what reading is for me. I come out of a good book completely refreshed. I'm genuinely, noticeably happier when books are an active part of my life. I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with reading this summer.

I'll probably go for an old literary friend for my re-introduction to the written word, but I'm also looking forward to some new reads. Any great recommendations?