Reading and the first book I read

Hello dear Readers,

I've been reading a lot lately, which feels awesome. So many great books out there waiting to be read Others may be not that great but at the end, is reading. I believe reading is magic. Reading can take us to so many wonderful places. Reading can help us when we are having a bad day, to relax. Reading can make us laugh, cry, feel angry, upset. Can make us feel the happiest person in the world. Something that can make us feel all those things, that has to be magic and the good thing is that we do not necessarily need money to read the books. With a library card we can check out books at the library. We can even use a computer or an e-reader and read books for free.  Reading is a privilege. Reading can make us free.

Reading has been present in my life since I remember but it was not always something I did because I liked it. I read all the books I had to read in school and high school but it was always out of obligation, because I had to. Though there were some books that I liked and still do, there was always that "if you want to pass the class, you have to read it" thing that never let me enjoy reading as much as I do now.

With all the reading going on in my life right now, I started thinking about the first book I read not because I had to but because I wanted or like most people say "the book that got me into reading".

In my case, that book was the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

First published in 1988, in the Portuguese language, it has been translated into 56 languages. The story follows the shepherd Santiago in his journey to Egypt, after having this recurrent dream of finding a treasure there. The main theme or message in the book is finding our destiny, our Personal Legend.

When I first read the book, I did not own it. I borrowed it from my sister. One day I was at her house and while taking a look at her personal library, I saw it, read the first pages and it interested me. My sister also said it was a great book and that I should read it and that is what I did. I loved it and not only was the first book I read because I wanted but it was also the first book I bought with my own money. Since that first time I read the Alchemist, Paulo Coelho became my favorite writer. I have read all his books, including a few he wrote before The Alchemist was published and he was not that famous. 

In my case, his books, specially the Alchemist, have been an inspiration. Every book, every story teaches us something. Finding and understanding our Persona Legend, our destiny. Teach us about love, wisdom, about pursuing our dreams, about character, but they also teach us about fighting our demons, sadness and loneliness, which though those are feelings always perceive as bad but we can learn something good from them if we really try.

Not a day pass by that I do not feel thankful that I read this book because it opened my eyes to the wonderful world of reading. Every time I hear somebody saying what this book means to them and how the book has impacted their lives in a good way, I feel lucky because I can relate to it. It not only started my love for reading but it also started my curiosity and my willingness to find my Personal Legend, my purpose in this world.

Have a wonderful reading and a happy reading.

Wen