I'm a reader, because I read.
We're starting a book club at work. Anyone that knows me fairly well knows how much I love to read, so I'm excited to be in my first book club. I'm also very interested to see what everyone picks for us to read (each month - or however often we meet - the book will be chosen by a different book club member). I have no idea when I'll choose a book, but I'm already fretting about it. Do I choose something I've read or something I want to read? Do I choose a classic? Pop-culture non-fiction? Something nerdy? A play? Chick-lit? Young adult fiction? Will people still like me if I make them read Thomas Hardy? What about Marian Keyes or Shopaholic?

I've been thinking about the phases I've gone through as a reader. As a kid, I read books about horses or teen detectives. In my early teens, I lived on V.C. Andrews, romance novels (shut up!), and Anne Rice. Once I became a "serious reader," I wanted to read only classics (or old) books. More recently, I've started reading modern literature, the It Books of the moment, and books I've read or heard about in the press. Now, I'm pretty indiscriminate in my reading, while still focusing on favorite authors or themes. I love a good book set in medieval Europe, or a Newbery Award winner, or those kinds of books you see on college reading lists. But I'll devour crime novels my mom gives me and chick lit that I pick up to read on vacation. I'll buy an old book because I like the cover, because the title sounds interesting or funny, or because I think the cover typeface is pretty. I'll even read books about baseball (and understand them!).

Yes, these days, I'm an equal opportunity reader, and I guess that will work well with the book club.

P.S. Ryan has a recent, interesting post about books, too. It's a little surreal.