When you read a good book, you feel it
I have always been someone who loves reading. I was your classic bookworm practically since I learned to read. I read every book I could find at home, and when I finished those, I spent my time at libraries.
This was long before I discovered the internet, let alone recommendation websites or algorithms. I would look at the back cover of a book, and if it seemed interesting, I would try reading it. Somewhere along the way, I stopped reading as much. Maybe it was growing up and having more things to do, but I lost my reading appetite.
I have been trying to overcome this in the past few years by reading what excites me and what makes me eager to read, not what is “right” or what I “need to” read.
When I recently learned that Wind and Truth, the fifth book in Brandon Sanderson's Starlight Archive series, had been released, I felt excited. I'm a big fan of Sanderson and have read many of his works. The thing about Sanderson is that he has written several different series, all set in the same fantasy universe—the Cosmere. In fact, I was introduced to his writing through another series set in that universe, Mistborn, a few years ago. I remember reading the first book with such passion and excitement, which reminded me of when I was younger.
Although it may seem like a waste of time, I decided to re-read all his works before reading the new book (in what I hope is the correct order). But this is not a post about Sanderson and his writing; I’m sharing this now because I just finished re-reading the first book of the Mistborn series. I didn’t remember much, just that I really enjoyed it and was excited to re-read it.
And so it was. Wow. What an experience. I flew through this book, reading every single moment I could manage to find, and I was really hooked on the twists in the plot in a way I had forgotten I could be.
In contrast, some other books I recently read didn't spark even 1% of the excitement I felt while reading Mistborn. So this is a reminder to myself—listen to your gut and follow your excitement. When you read a good book, you'll know it. When it’s not good, set it aside and move on.