Why Care What You Read? (And Dust Tour Stop #24)

We read every day. Honestly, we can’t help it: when we see words we know, we read them at a glance. I don’t think: “I’m going to read that billboard or that stop sign” and then read it (Although I don’t see many of those nowadays since I’m at home). 😉

Reading is automatic once you learn it.

Reading is useful once you learn it.

And–it’s dangerous.

Seriously. Here’s a common quote with some truth.

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones

Or the wisdom of The Book.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22

The greek likely means “generous” and “stingy” in place of “healthy” and “unhealthy.”

But it seems clear to me, whether Jesus was talking about reading in that particular verse or not, what we read is important.

Our eyes are our light.

My mom has shared great piece of wisdom that I find applicable over and over again:

“Every decision you make is making you.”
Mom

That’s not her exact phrasing. But it gets the point across.

The decisions you make now will effect the rest of your life–not just the ones you know will, like taking drugs or becoming a Christian, but every decision. Because you are forming yourself.

Want to be a better athlete? Choose every day to get up and exercise and eat healthily. It’s not the big decisions that make or break you, it’s the small ones that build you.

You decide what to read. You decide what the “light” that you’re walking by the edge of a cliff is. So choose intentionally.

How should we choose what to read?

Basic guidelines: Books our parents approve of, ones recommended by wise, trustworthy people, books that point us to Christ, that make us more like Him, that have inspiring examples of courage and self-sacrifice.

Here are a few suggestions by the Rebolution. Those are mostly non-fiction. Luckily, I also have some magical fiction to tell you about. Here you can find amazing, inspiring, old books that I can’t recommend enough!

But mostly, we need to think about what we want to read. Who we want to become.

Think deeply about who you want to be and choose books based on that.

Now that I’ve made it clear that what we read is important, I’d like to talk about a YA book that’s coming out soon by a Christian author I’ve gotten to know!

Dust, By Kara Swanson! (In case you hadn’t noticed, this post is part of a blog tour treasure hunt for that book.) I’d say it’s a Peter Pan retelling with an epic flair for clarity.

So, welcome Lost Ones! I am so excited to share about Dust and a few thoughts from Kara Swanson on the subject of reading, since I had the opportunity to ask her some questions!

Q. As a writer and a reader, how have you seen books make an impact on your life?

A. I think that reading has always been a way to broaden my view of the world, discover new things, and learn new truths that connect to my heart in a unique way. They’re also just a lot of fun 🙂

Q. What would be your ideal takeaway for Dust readers?

A. I hope that they love Peter and Claire, are taken on an enchanting adventure, and walk away feeling a little hopeful and reminded that we have value simply because we exist, and that there are always sparks of light, no matter how dark the night may get. ❤

Q. Do you hope that Dust will affect lives and if so, how?

A. I think just mainly that the themes of light through darkness and finding our worth would resonate with people, and that fans of Peter Pan will feel like this story helped them to explore and fall in love with his character and world a little more.

I hope you enjoyed another person’s thoughts on the subject, especially since she’s actually written a book (Well, by the time I post this, I will have too, but Kara is way more experienced than me)!

Like Kara said, reading is a lot of fun, so here’s the link if you want to buy Dust. I think it’ll fit all the requirements for a good book. 😉

And for those of you who are on a quest for treasure, your keyword: you.