i know i’ve mentioned it before but i wanted to dedicate an entire post to these books because i want you to know why they mean so much to me. as i’ve said, my favorite books i’ve ever read are The Neverending Story & Strange the Dreamer, but why are they my favorites? let’s start with The Neverending Story by Michael Ende…
as a young kid, like many of you, i watched The Neverending Story movie and fell in love with it. this movie was always a big part of my life, as it is a favorite of my mothers as well, but until i was 15 years old i had no idea it was a book as well. so let’s rewind to little teenage me, finding this book.
so, one day in the summer of my 15th year, my best friend and i decided to go to the library where she lived. i lived the town over and at this point, had never been to my own library because i had an $80 late fee from KINDERGARTEN and they wouldn’t waive it, so i gave up on libraries. on this day my best friend vanessa and i were bored and laying in her bed when she suggested we go to her library and get books using her card. i was so excited to actually go to the library for once that when i arrived i had NO IDEA where to start. vanessa and i we’re both huge harry potter fans but i was ready for a fresh stack of brand new stories. so there i was, with a huge smile and a twinkle in my eyes, in a seemingly huge library, overwhelmed with all the choices they had! i went up and down all the rows and grabbed a few ellen hopkins books because i was familiar with her writing but there were so many other options i couldn’t narrow down what else i wanted to try, until i happened upon a little area in the library set up with books that were adapted to movies and there it was. The Neverending Story was right there and i knew i had to read it because after all, it was one of my favorite movies! so vanessa and i checked out our books and started the long walk home with our books in hand and excitement in our hearts. we were both such suckers for a good story. when we got home vanessa decided to read the first Mortal Instruments book because she had heard good things about it from a family friend. i started The Neverending Story. vanessa and i laid in her bed all day and devoured our books in comfortable silence together. The Neverending Story ended up being so much better than the movie. i was enthralled from chapter one. i had never read such beautiful writing. i had never been on a fictional adventure quite so magical. i had never met characters as interesting as Moonchild and Atreyu. i had never felt like i myself was taking a ride on a luck dragon. it was the most interesting reading experience i had ever had and it instantly became, my favorite book and my favorite memory of my best friend. just two teenagers reading together, it is so comforting to think back on.
so how did Strange the Dreamer come into play? it’s a sad, yet beautiful tale.
when i was 20 years old, my best friend vanessa tragically passed away. i was destroyed. a whole community was mourning but i felt that my grief was different because she was the closest friend i’d had. i stopped reading. i stopped being happy. i stopped participating in normal life. i stopped being a human being all together. i just wanted the pain to end and to be back with vanessa. it hurt so bad that i didn’t come fully back to myself for years and i still to this day miss her like it’s the first day she was gone.
i had stopped reading all together after she passed away but as time went on, i got the urge to read again. i went to the library, paid my fine from kindergarten, and asked the librarian for any recommendations. they had just gotten Strange the Dreamer and the librarian said it was new and i should try it, so i did. i began reading Strange the Dreamer and i was astounded. it was like the author and pulled this story directly out of my own head. the writing was breathtaking. the story was a magical adventure. it had all the things i loved in The Neverending Story, except it was like i was reading part of my soul. i will never forget that comfy cozy feeling i had while reading. i was still grieving but look, i had a book that made me feel okay again. i was reading it without her but, maybe i was going to be alright in the long run. maybe my grief would soften. maybe i’d be able to be content again.
this is how two books became favorites of mine but also, it’s about how i had one of the most loving and beautiful friends on this earth. i will always love the memory of reading with her. i will always appreciate the memory of being able to enjoy reading again after she was gone.
thank you all for listening. this was a difficult post to make but, really lovely and warm memories to reflect on. why is your favorite book a favorite? what makes it so special?
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Luna Lestrange Reads 