The First One

I have always loved reading and words in general. I was raised in a house where I always saw my parents reading and there were always ample books for me to read. Therefore, I would do my best to read as many of them as I could, even reading books that were way beyond my years from a very young age. For this, I thank my parents for not censoring what I read-even when I went on a quite extended Holocaust/death kick-sorry mom!

Several years ago, my father made a comment to me along the lines of, "Wow, Rachel, if we'd kept track of all the books you've read in your lifetime, there would probably be thousands of them!" I recently relayed this story to my dad and he had no recollection of it. Well, I did and over the years have tried to start keeping track of all that I've read. So far, no really success!

This is where this blog comes into play. I am hoping, now that I am finished with school and working a "regular" job, I will be able to take more time to read and more time to reflect on what I've read. I truly believe that literature can serve many purposes. One of these purposes is to give you a temporary escape from reality-whether it's going to Hogwarts Castle (Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowlings) or experiencing what life was like in the times of Rashi (Rashi's Daughters by Maggie Anton). Literature also provides a road map for life. This road map can do one of two things, it can guide you on what you should do and how you should do it OR it will provide examples of what NOT to do and how to avoid these.

Anyway, I hope this Blog will be as enjoyable to those who read it as I hope it will be for me writing it.