reading

note: this is my very first blog; although i was one of those crazed xanga fans and i do consider that more of a blog than the facebooks, myspaces, and twitters of the current time. also, i like to type in all lower case just for the ease of things, however the importance and stresses are still well noticable. here goes...

i just finished reading angels & demons by dan brown. i had initially started reading the book years ago, but for some reason or another stopped. i did read the da vinci code and thoroughly enjoyed it (more so than the movie). then i decided to read angels & demons again, perhaps because my significant other is reading brown's newest book, the lost symbol, so i felt compelled to catch up. the story is quite a controversial one: science vs. religion, specifically catholicism. this hits home for me as i am an appreciator of many religions, although i do not consider myself religious i have great respect for those who are. also i am a philosopher. yes i said it, a philosopher. someone who questions. but that is another story...

back to reading and angels & demons. the story also deals with the mysterious illuminati brotherhood, a group of scientists who were supposedly shunned by the church. the main character robert langdon goes on an illuminati quest of sorts through rome. the historical facts presented in this book are awe inspiring, such detailed accounts of ancient art work and symbology. i did not intend this to be a book review, but if you have read the book i would like to hear your opinions. and if not it is definitely worth checking out.

reading this book got me thinking about my reading habits in general, amongst other religious and philosophical questions. i used to be quite the reader growing up. i would spend summers reading quietly in my room, but as i got older the personal reading time dwindled to practically non-existant. perhaps as a result of majoring in one of the most reading intensive subjects: philosophy. now that i am out of school it seems only natural that i could fall into my old reading habits, i am hopeful that this is the case. reading is a wonderful habit and i admit i am jealous of those individuals who read regularly for pleasure.

it seems in this day and age emphasis on reading is fading. technology and computers are the wave of the present, even the task of reading has become digitalized. i am old fashioned in the sense that i enjoy physically reading a book from cover to cover, smelling the print on the pages. what do you think? how do you read? and why?