What would you do if all your friends
abandoned you for cooler countries?
For me, the
answer to the above question was, get a life! But how exactly did I get a life
if really I had nothing to live for?
So I needed
to get my zest for life back. Here’s how I started:
I put all my
interests on board, going through them, analysing them, judging them based on ‘would
they help me make my friends see they made the biggest mistake of their lives
deserting me?’
But that
didn’t help.
Sheesh, I
needed to grow up! I needed to move on with my life and stop making everything
a big fuck-up about them leaving me. Chances are, they were living life to the
max, and I was here moping and scheming for ways to make them see I was The Friend they let go away. I needed to
take on my interests in a different light. I needed to take on my interests
based on the fact that they were my passion and that I loved doing them (not
because I wanted something to say, “Aha! You ungrateful morons! Take that for
leaving me all alone.”).
I scanned
over my list, which included tanning (I don’t have the complexion for this!),
working out (look what happened with my friends, so clearly I didn’t have the
heart for cardiovascular), singing (Oh, I got bored when every song that came
out of my lips was a sad––and horrible rendition of––an Adele track) and books.
Books.
My eyes
focused on the last five-letter words. Reading came to me, curling up on a sofa
with a book came to me, hiding in the dark garage from my dog and (even more
from) my family with a torchlight illuminating a book came to me.
Then I knew
what to do.
Books were
an escape, a fine one. This year, The
List by Joanna Bolouri wowed me, and opened a different portal to me where
I began to view sex as a positive change to anybody who could really use some
achievable New Year Resolutions. The
Secret Paris Cinema Club threw me into the amazing scenery of Paris and
lovers of the old monochrome pictures and showed me a world where love has no
limitations. Low Expectations by
Elizabeth Aaron jetted me into the dramatic life of a fashion student dealing
with her addiction to men with beards, and taught me life can sometimes throw
you a-light-in-the-tunnel curveball even when things are going not-so-well, but
only if you choose to work on your goals, and persevere a little (more),
success is yours!
I love
books. They have given a whole new dimension to me and a whole new meaning to
my life. That’s why I would always say,
(even if you whack me in the head with a Harry Potter novel), books are the
greatest gift to give to anyone this Christmas.
And a big
Thank You to Quercus for supplying me with a whole lot of books this year to
review. Quercus, also deciding to help me surprise you all, are giving away
five books (I chose) to be mailed out to you this Christmas with these themed stylish bookmarks.
Just comment on
this post (answering the question: Why Books Are The Greatest Gift?) and enter
the raffle below to win...
and be surprised this Christmas.
Happy Holidays
Kobby. `
