Is It normal for someone to want to live inside books?

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Is It normal for someone to want to live inside books?

4 Answers

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Answer 1

Absolutely. But one must take apart the introverted paradigm/stigma of what we're talking about within this question first, which can be done - in short - by looking at: What was 'normal' for the author (assuming that we're talking about good literature) of great books?

And this inevitably was to cross-pollinate different disciplines into one. All of the best wrriters have done this by living a varied life.

So the question of whether it is normal or not should be reflected upon with how the subject matter in question is created. And this in short, is from a blend of facets of life; so yes, it's normal to want to live inside books, but even more so if the reader appreciates the variety of life constituting the amalgamation of the passion that they're enjoying, and perhaps, more importantly, does the same themselves.

Answer 2

Yes. I don't think it's a question of immaturity or refusing to believe in reality. After all many adults and not just children, imagine themselves in such a place. At the end of the day, books and reading are an escape from reality. For those that lead particularly stressful lifestyles, or even lacklustre ones, when they sit down in the evening to read a book and get caught up in the story, it's the only time they truly feel alive.

Patrick Rothfuss, author of the fantasy novel the Name of the Wind, once wrote, "It is my job to break your heart." I find that very poignant. For a writer to create such a world, one that you almost believe in, that can grab you with such an emotional attachment, is in my opinion fantastic. It's the writers job to create a world for you to lose yourself in, is that not the whole point of a story?

Having recently read the Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, I know exactly what it feels like to be lost in such a powerful epic. So much so that it was several weeks before I picked up another book. Yes we all have our own lives to lead and our own stories to face, but books are there to help us on our journey's, not hinder. The day folks stop wanting to live inside books, shall be a very sad day indeed.

Answer 3

Yes, I think it is quite normal to sometimes wish you lived inside a book. The only people who don't think this are the sort of people who don't read books at all, and who wants to be like those people?

The type of book we want to live in can tell us something about the person we are, and the person we think we could be. They can influence how we see the world and what we want to do in the world, help us to find our vocation in life and guide us in our dealings with other people and difficult situations.

Of course, as always in life, there is a balance to be struck between the time we spend in books and time spent with friends or family, for example. Books are wonderful ways to escape from the worries of life, but those worries do not go away when we read, but are still waiting for us when we put down a book.

Children and young adults can especially benefit from extra time reading, as they contains characters which may make a child feel less lonely if they are troubled, or provide a teenager with a model for their problems; which young adult reader hasn't identified with Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar or Wuthering Heights, for example?

Books have answers, but it is up to ourselves to judge which are the best for us and to use those lessons in daily life. That said, better to spend too much time with books than with TV or computer games, as I believe books allow for greater contemplation and makes us better thinkers as a result.

Have you ever wondered why we read, and whether there is a best way of reading? This YouTube film takes a look:

Answer 4

No one is "normal"; everyone at one point in time has a dream or fantasy. If someone wants to live in books let them beileve it soon enough real life will catch up to them