I try to read a lot of books. I also try to read different types of books. As an aspiring writer and lifelong student, I like to see how writers from different genres or with different styles write. Of course, I inevitably don’t like every book I read. In fact, during some seasons of my life it seems I don’t like any of the books I come across. During these dry spells it’s hard to remember why I read at all.
Don’t get me wrong I love reading! I love it so much that in college I majored in English, despite the unpromising career paths laden with poverty and struggle. I love it so much that I completed a master’s degree in education just so I could become a high school English teacher and continue my love affair with books. I love it so much that even several winding years later I abandoned my then corporate career to pursue a life as a writer, trading a well-paying job for work as a bookseller earning a fraction of what I used to just so I could be around books and learn how books are sold.
In recent years and with the rise of influential social media platforms like TikTok, reading and books have become a trendy statement piece. There are so many people out there touting this book or that one that it can be hard to sift through all the noise to find the real gems we connect with. After reading some of the wildly popular social media books it can be hard to understand why certain books become the huge success that they do over others that truly resonate. The truth of course is that books are a business and sales matter. Authors with many followers offer publishers and booksellers a built-in audience they can capitalize on and who can blame them?
But I digress. The point being that today as I went along with my current read (The Secret of Orange Blossom Cakeby Rachel Linden) I was reminded of why I read, why it matters, and why some stories and authors stay with us forever.
This particular book is a cute story that blends magical realism and contemporary romance. It is wholesome and feel-good. Some might think it chick lit fluff or some other “non-serious” literary piece of work that doesn’t deserve deeper thought and to which they wouldn’t give a second glance at, but as I have moved through the story I have found so many relatable moments and situations and, the true gold of it all, the thing that will make this a book I keep is that I have found so many beautiful quotes that strike at the heart of life, quotes that have something to teach me about living a better life, a good life.
As I came across these quotes that really stuck me as lines I wanted to annotate, I realized that it is here that I find value in a book. It is these golden nuggets of truth or sage life advice. This is what makes a book memorable for me, this is what makes me want to hold on to it for future reference. It is these books, with their gentle way of teaching me or reminding me of something critical, that I want to hold on to. They are the reason I read and let’s be honest they are the reason I want to be a writer.
Angelica Sophia 
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