World Book Day

     Since I was small, books have always been and continue to be my inseparable companions. As an incurable bookworm, I’ve read countless ones up to now, making journeys through thousands and thousands of pages with several kinds of stories and literary genres. I also enjoy self-help books, and I think they really make us feel good, as if we were going through a kind of personal therapy.

     When I read, I plunge into the story and that book becomes part of my daily thoughts. I can hardly wait to know what’s going to happen on the following pages. That’s the good book, the one that captivates us. The moments I’m reading, I don’t think about almost anything else, I forget my worries and problems, I entertain myself with this habit that’s also a pleasant leisure form. I also like to read more than one book at the same time, a novel and a self-help book or one with short stories, one in English another in Portuguese, and so on. (Not to mention the book I’m working with!) I think this is a great way to read because I’m always “inside” a story and reading another interesting thing at the same time.

     Naturally, books should always be seen as companions, not as something that isolates us from other people. They may even accompany us on an outing, for us to read a page or two while we rest, but we have to enjoy other kinds of entertainment too. Anyway, the time we can dedicate to read a book is totally enjoyable.

     In my case, books have also become work companions because, for more than 20 years, they have been the original form of the translations I do. It’s another reason why I love my work, because I end up going deeper in these books than if I were just reading them normally.

     Despite all welcomed modern technology, which helps me on researches and studies, when reading is for leisure, I prefer the printed book rather than the ebook, as I always say. I love to visit book fairs, book stores, to explore the shelves of the used books stores, admiring book covers, leafing through pages. When reading, I like to hold the printed book in my hands, to flip through the pages, to give my eyes some rest from the electronic screens and to settle into a comfortable place while I let my imagination fly away with one more story.

     On April 23rd, World Book Day, through the Aprendizes de Escritores/Writers’ Apprentices Blog, where I write (one thing that we can always improve by reading), I congratulate this priceless companion, the book.

P.S.: We can’t forget that millions of people in the world don’t have access even to printed books much less to ebooks. We can never consider libraries or used books stores outdated. We have to divulge projects and initiatives such as itinerant libraries, book sales on bookstores and the books donation campaigns, also donating books when we can.