A favorite book of mine that I’ve kept for a while is Percy Jackson the Lightning Thief. The cover shows Percy looking on to the city skyline from the ocean, sword in hand, and lightning striking down. The bright yellow font for the title contrasts the grayish blue of the cover. The book has a hardcover and a thick layer of pages that seemed like a daunting task for middle school me to overcome. I never spent much time reading books outside of required ones for school growing up, but the Percy Jackson series was the exception. The mysterious aura from its covers and use of Greek mythology drew me in and I felt I could easily get lost in the world. This nostalgia holds true today and I feel Percy Jackson set the bar for me on how to enjoy books. Regardless of if it’s fantasy, history, or any other genre, if I feel like I can be walking in the world being told, I can easily enjoy the story.
This notion of going to another world, and occasionally catching yourself caught up in the illusion is what makes books special. Compared to reading on other mediums, holding a book allows me to adjust my positioning, lay on bed, and physically control the pages and feel like I’m part of the story’s pacing.