For those of us who are wallflowers and introverts, exuberant groups of high school students can become tiring to hang around for any long period of time. I often hear others’ conversation several occasions throughout the average school day and it dawns on me how unimportant, unnecessary and somewhat half-witted most idle talk is, including my own, in the scheme of life. Aside from when it comes to my few close friends, I do not find the need to fill the air with words during every waking minute of my life! I would prefer to do almost anything rather than socializing (the one exception to that is to do homework). My favorite pastime is to read a good book that draws me in and make the gears of the world feel inconsequential, compared to this beautifully-written fantasy.

When you find the perfect book or series to read, it feels like your life becomes complete and everything else in the world is insubstantial. What’s the point of socializing, an unpleasant thing to do already, with people you don’t care about, when you know they don’t care about you either? Unlike using your phone in those instances, reading is always enjoyable and relaxing. It makes you think and use your brain, and it can influence your emotions according to the setting and scene of the story. When it comes to the series I’m currently tearing through, I pretty much regard every chapter as true art, and I honestly feel enlightened after reading around 1,000 words so far this past week. (To anybody, I recommend reading the Inheritance Cycle- book one is called Eragon- by Christopher Paolini.)

Humans are not infallible or unproblematic, but good books are both of those things and much greater. My experiences interacting with people usually leave me feeling awkward, embarrassed, tired or all three since I’m just really bad at talking to people. Books aren’t like that- they’re friendly, and to read my favorite series for the nth time makes me happier than any real person can on the planet. Additionally, a book can fit into a bag or purse and be taken anywhere, unlike a human! There is absolutely no downside to being a wallflower from what I see.

Many people are simply disgusted by the prospect of reading a whole book, much less a 904,000 series like the Inheritance Cycle. I can only say that I feel very sorry for those people who will never be able to experience life in the same way.