My mom always told me that in order to enhance my vocabulary and enrich my imagination, I should keep reading. By exposing myself to all types of books, I learn new words, and get used to proper sentence structure and grammar. At the same time, I discover new worlds through the lives of various people, places and things.

I still remember that afternoon my dad took me to a local bookstore to buy my first novel. At that time, I could not imagine how it was like to read a book with no pictures in it. However, from then on, I learned to use my mind to imagine what goes on within the pages. Due to this, people would tell me that I have turned into the so-called bookworm. Instead, I prefer to think of myself as a book lover. For one, I am never without a book to read. Two, I am forever finding a new book to purchase or borrow. Three, I am fortunate enough to acquire books faster than I can read them, thus, the beginning of my never-ending list of books to indulge.

I read anything, anytime, anywhere. Just like Meggie in Cornelia Funke’s novel, Inkheart, I enjoy a wide range of categories – from fantasy to adventure, mystery, informational, philosophical, chic lit, classical, contemporary, young adult, and even children's lit. At the same time, part of the fun of beginning a new book is learning about its author, whereabouts, reviews, and ratings. More reviews is not necessarily better. There are unpopular titles that have quite a number of interesting and exciting scenes to offer a reader.

Every story is unique and magical. I enjoy and savor every page, every word, and every moment of the book as if I were part of it. I read when I’m bored, while waiting for a scheduled event, before I leave the house to meet up with friends, and in bed before I go to sleep. I try to imagine my books to be like those in Harry Potter. Though most novels have no pictures, I imagine the characters coming to life and scenes so real that you can almost touch them. At times, I think of myself crossing over into the story’s dimension the likes of Griffin & Sabine, and His Dark Materials Trilogy.

With loving every book comes the care put into preserving its natural state. I simply love the smell of brand new books while I browse around like a mesmerized puppy in a store such as Fully Booked, and the sound of its pages rustling against my fingertips as I scan through more titles. Every sheet, from cover to cover, is precious. Like Meggie of Inkheart, one should never allow dust to collect at the edges, nor should there be creases on the spine and dog-ears to mark the last page read to preserve the long life of a book.

This may sound a bit like fanaticism, but I did, in fact, read a poem about books when I was a child and it stated all the things that I have just mentioned. Books are like our friends. Their characters vary yet each one has its own story to tell and lesson to be learned.