Harry Potter--the only stable man in my life

I love to read. I've never really considered myself a reader or a reading expert, but I love the feeling you get when you can't wait to see what happens next in a book.

I always liked the smell of libraries. These days, libraries don't smell the way they used to...or it could be that I'm just so used to it since I visit the library several times a week. I like roaming the shelves and looking at different books when I'm tired of working on police log or writing stories.

I'm into Harry Potter these days. I started reading the first one about a month ago when I went to Miami. I read a lot of it on the plane ride over, but never finished it. Then, I finally did when I got home. It took a while before I was able to start reading the second one (which I started Friday afternoon), and I finished it on Sunday. I'm half way into the third one now. I'd like to at least finish the sixth one and watch all of the movies before the new movie comes out in July. Perhaps I can do it if my busy schedule allows me to ;)

I get into these phases where I fill every possible free second reading a book...in between assignments, right before a meeting, in the car as I wait for stuff, in between work and hanging out, in bed when I have nothing to do and then right before going to sleep. I keep copies of books in my car to keep me occupied. I don't know why, but I look forward to when I can pick up the book and read a couple more pages.

There's something about immersing yourself in someone else's world for a while. What I love about Harry Potter is that everything is so different...wizards, witches, ghosts, bad guys, dragons, spells and creatures. I love the different characters, and even though the main characters are significantly younger than I, I love how they're always finding themselves in an adventure. (Imagining British accents is cool, too)

Anyway, I hung out with an old college friend the other day, and we went into a Borders. I don't know what it is about him, but we would always frequent book stores (he said his mom used to take him into stores all the time to "smell the books"--very cute) and I always walk away buying some ridiculously expensive book. It's OK, though. This time, I bought "Life" by Paulo Coelho. It quotes all of his novels, and I love it. "The Alchemist" is my favorite book, and I've read some of his others...this book captures the essence of those. I shall incorporate some of the quotes into future entries and thoughts.