in defense of reading books.

I have always loved reading books.  I've been told I am a loudmouth, that I love the sound of my own voice, that I'm "loquacious," etc, but when I have a really good book to read, that side of me disappears into the pages I'm reading.  


Yes, I mean that it's the only thing that will shut me up.


Anyway, reading books is one of those things I get obsessed with, and I can't stop until I've finished the chapter, then book, then series of books that I have started.  However, starting in high school once I started doing a thousand extracurriculars (cross country, track, forensics, school musical, marching band, National Honor Society), and continuing through college (sorority, second sorority, marching band still, social life, classes) my bookreading dropped off because there were so many other things I had to do, and so many other not as fun books I was required to read.


So it's pretty funny that now the only thing that shuts me up is what makes my boyfriend worry about me.  Not actually, but fake worry in the way that I'm not constantly yapping away when I'm doing it.  I recently decided to start reading the Hunger Games, but I'm doing it sneakily on the computer, so there's no way for him to know when I'm reading a book and when I'm doing something else.  It's not his fault, really, but he just gets confused when he's in the other room and realizes that it's been 30 minutes and nothing's come out of my ever-blabbing mouth.


I know he thinks I'm weird, because I can get through a book like the Hunger Games in 2 days.  He thinks that is the weirdest thing ever, like I have some superpower that gave me ultrahuman reading ability.


Actually, come to think of it, he would probably think that was cooler if I were an X-Man or something.  


But my theory is, if I'm going to be reading something, I might as well be reading a book.  I can feel good about spending 2 hours reading a book.  Because let's be honest, 80% of the time I'm reading something, just not anything of use.  Blogs (yes I'm aware that I'm demeaning my own medium), emails, Perez Hilton the New York Times online, OK! Magazine Time Magazine, and, you know, other fine news sources.  


What do I have to say for myself if I've read OK! for 2 hours?  That Kim K is bouncing back and Emma Stone's Oscar dress was nice, but it also was 5 years ago when Nicole Kidman wore it?  But if I read a book, I get to say that I got through an entire, fully-fleshed out story.  Maybe I even had to think a bit.  So if reading a book in 2 days makes me unusual, so be it.  Hopefully people will even get used to me shutting up for once.