The Book That Got Me Back into Reading

            Bored. I laid, sprawled out over my bed, just staring at the ceiling. I had spent many nights like this. I had plenty of ways to kill time, but none of them could hold my attention for more than a few minutes. I hated nights like these, it felt like I was just wasting my time. It was back when the pandemic first hit, and everything was on lockdown. Not that I ever went out anyway.

            I decided to get up out of the bed and head to my computer chair. I browsed the internet, looking for something to occupy my mind. After hours of thoughtless scrolling, I ended up on an online forum about literature. After spending some time there, it got me thinking, I had not read, for my own enjoyment, in a very long time. “I used to love to read, though” I thought, as I opened Amazon books. I decided to purchase a copy of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment on a whim and eagerly awaited its arrival.

            And then I didn’t read it. In fact, a full three months had passed before I even thought about reading the book again. Unfortunately, not much had changed in those three months, so I still had plenty of time to read. Crime and Punishment is an 1866 Russian crime novel with over 500 pages and plenty of confusing Russian names and references. It may have been an odd first choice at the time. Of course, Dostoevsky is one of the greats, and Crime and Punishment, one of his best works. Still, an odd first choice.

            I began by reading the first chapter on and off for about a week or so. Initially, it was difficult for me to just sit down and read when I could be doing literally anything else, but eventually I was able to really get into it. Each time I would pick up the book it got harder to put down than the last. With each page turn I grew more and more invested in the story. The characters were all so complex and well-written that I even liked the antagonists of the story. I was fascinated with the characters and their stories, and I wanted to see what would happen next. This was a great feeling, to be so heavily invested in a story, that I had not felt in a very long time. It made me excited to keep reading and I finished the book within the next few days. For the first time in a long time, I felt motivated to read, and I was excited to pick up a new book.

            Now, whenever I find myself laid out on my bed, bored, staring at the ceiling, with nothing to do, I try to pick up a new book, instead of wasting time away like I have so many nights before. I am so glad that I impulsively bought Crime and Punishment that night. It may have been an odd choice at the time, but it turned out to be the perfect choice. It was exactly what I needed. Crime and Punishment was the book that got me back into reading.

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