When I was a kid, I read constantly. It was more quantity than quality - lots of Babysitter’s Club, Nancy Drew, things like that. But still, I was reading. Around the time I started high school, though, I discovered fanfiction. It gave me instant gratification and more romance and mush and mental candy than I could ask for. I started spending all my time on the computer. I stopped reading books. My attention span was gone - why sit through an entire book that was written to make me think or give an accurate portrayal of a life when I could read fanfiction, which was full of delicious unresolved sexual tension and beautiful people and thrilling drama? It was equivalent to reading romance novels, except that the style was usually completely different. There was really no substance to it.

I spent years reading fanfiction. I still do, but I’ve been reading less and less lately. My mind is finally sick of all the sugar that I’ve been feeding it. Lately I’ve been impatient with light, fluffy reads. I want something that feels true. I started reading Kushiel’s Dart, and it was enjoyable, but it wasn’t enough. I felt like I was wasting my time. I want books about real people, real ideas, real knowledge. I want books that will make me think about the way I live my life. I want books that will teach me something new. I want books that will make me a better person.