How to Live a Thousand Lives

According to George R.R. Martin, It’s as Easy as Opening a Book

Or a whole lot of them!

Welcome to Motivational Mondays!

As a child, and a teenager, I was shy. And I don’t mean your run-of-the-mill, garden variety shy either. I remember having one friend in grade school. One. Then hanging out at a table in the lunch room in junior high with other shy, not cool girls like me. Not really friends, but we knew one another’s names, so we didn’t have to eat alone. Fortunately, I was close with my sister and a couple of cousins. 

From about second grade on, I’ve tended to prefer the company of fictional characters over that of most other humans. The people who live in books have been – and still are – my friends. They’re always there. They don’t judge. And we’ve always have the best adventures! More importantly, they helped to keep the loneliness at bay. They still do.

(For the record, I eventually outgrew the extreme shyness, though I remain most comfortable in small groups.)

Throw a Dart at a World Map…

…and I’ll bet there’s a story set wherever it lands. Just off the top of my head, I know I’ve visited – and learned about – Australia, Ireland, England, Paris, Italy, Canada, many of the United States, and even Mars. I’ve enjoyed islands, beaches, small towns, big cities, and places so far off the beaten path, it’s a miracle anyone could ever find them.

Through the wonderful written word, I’ve traveled in rockets, airplanes, cruise ships, trains, horses, and stagecoaches. I’ve experienced different customs, cuisines, fashions, and traditions. I’ve lived in cramped apartments, suburban houses, and mansions.

Don’t Have the Time or Money to Take a Vacation? 

Wherever you’d like to go, a book can transport you there – and at bargain prices. Books will expand your horizons, make you think, make you cry, infuriate you, and often leave you wearing a mysterious smile long after you’ve turned the last page.

I don’t know if George R.R. Martin was the first person to say, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” Whether he did, or did not, it’s true.

But- But- What About the Movie?

I’m not knocking movies. Believe me, I’m not. In fact, I’m a fan of a fair number of them. But if you read “the story” before you see “the movie,” you’re always going to be let down because scripts leave out too many important parts. If you see the movie first, sometimes, it’s hard to get into the book.

There are only two times recall movies doing the books justice – The Host, by Stephenie Meyer (bookmovie), and The Martian, by Andy Weir (bookmovie). Those were affiliate links, by the way. Learn more about them by clicking here.

While I enjoyed reading and watching them,  the books offered so much more detail – and kept me enthralled for many hours longer than the movies. It’s kind of like the difference between a quick trip to town after you forgot a gallon of milk – and a leisurely drive up M-37 during October, enjoying the fall colors, and stopping at interesting places along the way.

Shameless plug…

As much as I love reading, I think I love writing even more. And my stories take you from a small town in lower Michigan (the Coach’s Boys series), to islands in northern lower Michigan and just south of Greenland (the Royal Sweethearts series), to the Lake Michigan coast (the Weko Harbor series) … and more! (those are affiliate links too, as are the ones below – sorry, FTC rules require I disclose this information to you)

Almost all of my books can be read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited subscription! You can even try it free for 30 days. For fast readers, 21 of my books are available in Kindle Unlimited (hint, hint 🙂 ). Don’t have a Kindle? No problem. You can get free Kindle reading apps for pretty much any kind of digital device too!

Whatever you read, however you read it, I hope you find some time this week to escape. To take a brief vacation. To just get away and relax for a while – in the pages of your favorite books!

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